New Beginnings
by jaggedjacket
Summary: Choji helps Tenten prep for a job that he doesn't want her to leave for, not after falling for her. ChojiXTenten. Me no own.   Final chapter up. Complete.
1. Chapter 1

Ch oji carried the last of the boxes inside and smiled at his new roommate. Lee shuffled through the stacks of boxes and led the way into their shared kitchen. This kitchen was a formidable size, considering it was a bachelor pad, but in truth was the selling point to Akimichi. Lee handed his new partner-in-crime a fizzy soda from their decent sized fridge, and after clinking the bottles together, took their respective pulls while they surveyed their new pad. They had to unpack, but in truth the two boys didn't really have a lot of possession: just enough to scrape by, which was fine for the two newly independent ninjas.

Choji's mom had insisted on him attending dinner at least twice a week back at the compound. With the pleading look in his mother's eyes and the way that she had so earnestly clapped her hands together until they turned white from lack of blood, he half-heartedly agreed.

He knew his mother would only worry about him if he didn't, even though he assured her that he had done his math correctly and would be more than able to afford the place as long as he was able to obtain a roommate. And groceries, Kame knew his mother was worried the man wouldn't be eating enough. He reassured her, again, that he would have more than enough as long as he could move in with someone else to split the rent.

Thus entered Rock Lee.

Now Choji loved his best friend, Shikamaru, mind you, but he just couldn't see spending every waking hour with the guy before he vowed to loath the man for all eternity. Space, his own space, is what he needed. Weather his mother liked it or not, he was becoming a man, and moving out was a surefire way to drive the fact further into his parent's brains.

He was feeling suffocated and needed some time away from the complex before his role as heir seeped in and he would never once be able to say that he made it on his own before the responsibilities of leading his clan engulfed his life completely. Soon, his parents would pester him to take a wife and produce little (ha-ha) Akimichis of his own. But for now, he was able to do what he wanted, and moving out was at the top of his list to get himself out from under his parent's thumb.

Lee was friendly and warm, and well suited for the job as roommate. He didn't seem to carry a lot of mental baggage like that Hyuga teammate of Lee's, or become extremely introverted and mysterious like Nara's new roommate, Shino. No, Lee was well mannered, polite, a descent conversationalist, and not a clutter bug.

As long as he kept those damn quick hands of his off of his snacks, things would be just fine.

…

Choji started unpacking the last box of chipped dishes (a hand me down from Asuma during his bachelor pad days, courtesy of Kurenai) when the doorbell rang.

Ahh, their first visitor. Choji just hoped to Kame it wasn't one of his parents come by to check up on him.

Lee, who came out of nowhere, answered the door with a flourish, and smothered the guest in an enormously tight hug. The person on the receiving end squeaked like a bath toy at the sudden loss of air, and nearly dropped what Choji could only assume was a house warming present.

Her wide eyes were pleading out from his firm grasp and she mouthed the words, "help me," to the Akimichi, who chuckled to himself concerning his overzealous flat mate.

He placed a large hand on Lee's shoulder and took the box of cookies that the young woman had nearly dropped from nothing short of lack of blood flowing to her extremities.

"Lee, please introduce me to your friend," Choji announced, and as soon as Lee was not looking, she mouth out a grateful, "thank you," as she rubbed her arms.

"Choji-san!" Lee began youthfully, truly the only way that Lee could begin anything, "this is my teammate, Tenten!"

The two respectfully bowed, knowing that Lee would appreciate the formalities, and Choji couldn't help but wink at her briefly, as if to playfully thank her for going along with the madness that was Rock Lee.

She beamed back a heartfelt smile, as if to say she was used to it, and Choji offered her box back to the twin bunned konoichi in a gentlemanly way.

"Oh no," she gushed out, "I brought them as a house warming present for you both."

"Quite thoughtful of you, won't you please come in and make yourself as comfortable as you can in our humble abode." He gestured with a hand wave.

He was surprised to see a faint blush buzz her cheeks as she meekly took off her sandals and ventured further inside.

Choji resumed his work back in the kitchen, making sure to start some tea on the stove for their first guest, before unwrapping more dishes and placing them carefully in the cupboards.

He smiled again to himself as he heard Lee beam about how he thought Sakura might enjoy visiting his new place as he showed Tenten every nook and cranny the place had to offer.

He was glad that Lee was so particularly enthusiastic about everything; it kind of made it hard not to smile and shake your head. He wondered briefly if Lee ever got depressed, and what a scary thought that would be to see. He settled in his mind that if that day ever came, he might be able to cheer him up the way that Lee seemed to always make the world around him now.

The whistle of the kettle drew him out of his thoughts and he quickly made up a tray for tea and invited the others to draw around their meager coffee table to partake in the celebratory drink of their new place.

Choji had shuffled some of the cookies on a plate and laid them out on the table for them to munch on. And he had to admit, they were quite tasty.

"Did you make these, Tenten?" Choji asked after sampling a few, "My mother would give her left arm for a recipe this good."

Tenten blushed again, sheepishly looked down, and swiped some hair out of her eyes. Choji noted how cute her modesty was.

"Thanks, I am trying my hand at baking; I have an assignment in a few months that will require me to be an expert baker as I work an apprenticeship in a forge in the fire country. I need to get at least a few dozen more recipes under my belt before I can go. My last batch didn't turn out so well."

"The ones wi' da nuhs?" Lee rushed out thickly as he chewed half of a cookie in his mouth. He quickly swallowed, "Neji and I were fighting each other for the last one, _literally_!"

"I burned them, Lee," she chided softly, accusing him of falsely praising her work.

"Yes, but they were _so good_ that we were still fighting over them!" Lee pointed a bandaged hand in her direction. "That makes how many recipes to add to your collection?"

"Including this one?" Tenten perked up and Lee nodded. "That makes two," she finished in a defeated manner. "I need to find someone to teach me two dozen recipes within a month and a half or Tsunade is going to find another blacksmith to take my spot." She sighed and swiveled her tea aimlessly around in her cup.

"I can ask my mom," Choji piped in casually. "She would probably be completely flattered that you would go to her, and her schedule is pretty flexible."

Tenten perked up again, and a smile lit up her face with genuine gratitude. "Really? That would be awesome!"

"I was supposed to bring Lee over tonight to meet my parents," Choji shifted his gaze on his roommate, who seemed to blush ever so slightly by his focused attention on his sudden termination of the dinner, "but he asked Sakura on a date and she said yes." Choji couldn't help but chuckle at Lee's now hyped up behavior.

"The springtime of youth is upon me! My precious cherry blossom has come around to my affections!" Lee all but gushed to Tenten-apparently he had meant to tell her earlier but had gotten caught up in the whole moving ordeal.

"I see," Tenten smiled with approval; because smiling at Lee's happiness was completely contagious. Choji winked again at Tenten, and she blushed ever so slightly at his flirting and shyly looked away.

Tonight would definitely be interesting.

…

"Choji!" The tall woman beamed, opening wide the door to the Akimichi complex. Her face of kind of paled as it lingered on Tenten. "Who is your friend, son?"

Choji chuckled a bit before answering. "I see Dad isn't back yet?" He asked his mother, who wordlessly nodded, confused by where her son was taking her in this conversation.

"I ran into Dad earlier to explain that my roommate, Rock Lee, was unable to attend dinner tonight, but his teammate, Tenten, here, would be joining us instead."

His mother visibly relaxed at the news; her son had not moved out of the house to elope with some girl that he hadn't even bothered to tell them about.

"I hope that is okay, mother," he smiled warmly at his mom, who suddenly smiled back in kind and urged them both to come in. Choji kissed his mother by way of greeting on both cheeks and helped Tenten hang up her coat in the foyer as the apron clad matriarch disappeared back into the kitchen.

"What can I help with?" Choji asked, strapping on an apron and grabbing at the few odds-and-ends dishes around the counter to place them in the sink.

"Go entertain your friend, no need to fuss around here," she explained politely, bumping him with her hip away from his position at the sink.

"Actually, Mom, Tenten was wondering if you might be able to help her refine her baking skills," Choji continued to help clean up despite his mother's discouraging looks, "she is in need of someone to assist her so that she can be able to take the blacksmith's position in fire country in about a month."

"Oh, that is a very prestigious apprenticeship," his mother cooed lowly, "they only offer it to the best blacksmiths, but the catch is they have to be able to use that flame from the ovens to bake as well, or they won't bother taking them. It's so cold in the fire country they insist on having them learn baking before they take the position, or they send them back, because they have to be able to make good use of the flame at all times. If they _are _able to stay, the money, I hear, is _very_ good."

"Is that a 'yes'?" Choji asked his mother with an askance look, playfully ignoring his mothers informational ranting. "Or do you need more time to think about it?"

His mother smiled proudly at her son, "Of course I am going to help her."

…

Choji, was not one to look the gift horse in the mouth; especially when those gifts were freshly baked goodies from a particularly cute konoichi. He found himself running into her constantly, which, in truth, he didn't mind at all.

If she wasn't dropping off baked goodies at their apartment for her newly discovered "guinea pigs," she could always be found at his parent's house, sporting an apron and offering to sneak him some warm pre-dinner treat before his scheduled dinner dates his mother insisted on having with him and his father.

He stopped by the complex, late one afternoon after training with his team, on a day he wasn't scheduled to have dinner, just back from the market. Taking the side door to the kitchen, he hauled in his box of flours for his mother, hoping to just leave them on the counter with a note explaining why they were there.

He was finding that even though he was socking his money away like a mad-man, he had quite a bit left over for more luxurious things, and what better way than to surprise his mother and Tenten than with a rather wide variety of flours to chose from for their many baking escapades.

As he opened the door, he could smell something heavenly baking in the oven. Placing the large box of fours on the counter, he spotted the twin bunned konoichi in a frilly apron mixing up a concoction in a large white mixing bow.

"Choji!" Tenten greeted him with a warm smile and crossed the kitchen with the bowl now hiked up on her hip.

"Try this!" she offered him the spoon half way up out of the bowl, and he helped guide the light yellow mix to his lips.

"Lemon frosting?" he said with an impressed tone, she nodded. "That is really good! What delicious treat are you making that will accompany such perfection?" he asked. Complimenting the young baking goddess until she blushed was Choji's new favorite passed time. And he was granted the reward of not only getting more baked treats, but she also graced him with another one of her famous blushes as she brushed the hair away from her eyes with a shoulder. He gave in to the temptation to gently tuck in the rouge strand behind her ear himself, after three more futile attempts on her part to tame it with her shoulder.

At his touch she had stared with wide eyes into his face for a second, and then continued to blush deeply, and look away.

Hinata, eat your heart out.

He fought the urge to smile at her blushing; for fear that she might think him laughing at her.

"So what is that?" Tenten changed the subject quickly, not wanting to linger on her sudden embarrassment. She pointed to the box that he had brought in on the counter.

"Just some fours that I brought for you and my mom to experiment with," he casually mentioned, "I just wanted to drop them off on my way back from training."

"You bough me flours?" she asked, moving to peer into the box, not even minding that she was now, exceptionally well into his personal space.

Now, when one got into the personal bubble of an Akimichi, one had to realize exactly what that entailed. Tenten was about to find out. The Akimichi held on to their space quite firmly, as they were constantly pulling in energy from the earth with their chakra, not moving unless engaged in battle for the sake of not taking a hit. As she turned to look at Choji after checking out all of the exotic flours in the contents of the box, she realized her so called mistake, and had rubbed up against Choji's very tree-like figure. She slowly looked up at his face as she did, half expecting him to jump back from the intimate contact. To her amazement, he simply offered without embarrassment, "I hope you like them."

Transfixed, she stood staring up into his eyes, like a deer caught in a spot light. He didn't break eye contact, even when the kitchen timer buzzed obnoxiously on the counter. She seemed oblivious to its warning, and Choji had to repeat himself twice before she slipped back into reality.

"The timer went off," he announced to the doe-eyed girl now resting her hand on his chest.

"Huh? Oh! Right!" she stammered out as she blushed again, tearing around the kitchen in a frenzy, trying to find the oven mitts to take out her newly baked treats.

Pulling one off of the tray, she quickly blew on it, frosted it, and offered it up to Choji to sample. She eagerly anticipated his reaction with wide eyes, and Choji was beginning to realize that he wasn't looking forward to the end of the next four weeks. Her apprenticeship lasted for nine grueling months, and Choji tried not to think about how he would really miss her while she took leave.

"Hot!" Choji announced suddenly after taking a larger bite than he had intended. Tenten frantically apologized and nearly tripped over her own feet to get him a glass of water.

"But _really_ good," he finished taking the proffered glass with a wink.

She blushed prettily as she preened from his compliment, and Choji couldn't help but think he might have trouble letting his little baking nymph go.

….


	2. Chapter 2

"Hn?" Choji tried to refocus on the conversation with the shadow jutsu specialist. The lazy nin beside him actually propped himself up on his elbows to eye his best friend.

"What's with you? You've been acting strange lately." Shikamaru continued to stare at the Akimichi until he answered.

"Sorry, I must be hungry," he brushed off the comment, vaguely aware that his best friend was actually going through the trouble to actually find out what exactly was bothering him.

Troublesome.

"That's not it and you know it. You get antsy when you are hungry, not contemplative. Besides we just ate." That wasn't normally a logical defense to say that they just ate so Choji couldn't be hungry, because Shikamaru himself had seen the boy push aside a clean plate after packing it away and stating with utmost confidence that he was still hungry. Granted he was going through a growth spurt at the time, but still, impressive all the same.

Choji turned to his friend in mid thought and closed one eye at the bright beams of the sun.

"So how did you know with Temari?" he asked as if the shadow user was supposed to know the context of the conversation in his head.

"This is about a girl?" Shikamaru queried stumped. He paused to evaluate the serious look on Choji's face before continuing. "You'll know," he stated decisively, leaning back into the grass and positioning his arms back behind his head.

Shikamaru hadn't known Choji to be particularly girl-crazy. He was always a little weary around girls, and knew that he was waiting to find someone very special before making any kind of confession of his feelings. Choji was very guarded like that, a little low on self esteem at times, because girls didn't openly fawn over him the way they would over a certain Uchiha. But, he knew Choji was confident that, one day, he would find the right lady and settle down.

Shikamaru just didn't think it would be so soon. He was praying that whatever girl would be lucky enough to win his heart would at least be a konoichi. She had to meet certain criteria- not just anyone was allowed to date his best friend. She had to be smart, good looking and above all else, be crazy about Choji and make him happy.

"I want to meet her." Shikamaru stated, not asked.

"We're not dating or anything, dude." Choji began shredding blades of grass and tossing them nonchalantly in no particular direction.

"It doesn't matter."

"Fine," Choji acquiesced, "when?"

"Tonight."

"I have dinner with my parents tonight." The broader shoulder boy reasoned to argue.

"Perfect." The strategist smirked with confidence, knowing that getting himself invited to dinner at the Akimichi's wouldn't be difficult at all considering their dads were drinking buddies.

…

"Hey Lee!" Tenten smiled as the green clad ninja opened the door. "I brought some more treats for you to sample!" She looked around the apartment expecting to see someone as Lee shut the door.

"He's not here, Tenten," Lee spoke as he plopped himself on the futon. Tenten followed suit and dejectedly fell beside him.

"Oh, no, is it that obvious?" She spoke softly and Lee nodded with a look that said, "I'm afraid so."

"It is your springtime of youth!" he stated enthusiastically, "I think it's about time you stopped using the excuse of us as guinea pigs for your mission just to come over. Just ask him out!"

"Why is that easier said than done?" she moped. She froze in place as the front door opened and a half naked Akimichi Choji walked in the flat, tanned and glistening with sweat. He had just come back from training and was holding his shirt in his hands wipping the sweat on his brow as he moved his way over to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. He waved and mumbled a quick, "hey guys," before draining a glass and refilling it, all the while not missing the interplay between the two ninja sitting on the couch.

Tenten was not blinking with her mouth half open, her eyes glued on what Choji could only guess to be whatever new scar or wound he had obtained during his training session only moments ago. He had made the unfortunate mistake of forgetting to take his water bottle with him when he left. Apparently it was serendipitous to end the match early and head home to drink his weight in water. Seeing her was always worth it.

"Am I bleeding?" he asked wearily, making another attempt at evaluating his chest and arms as the konoichi continued to gawk at him with out wavering. Lee very unsurreptitiously shoved his shoulder into her back in an attempt to wake her from her trance, and even mumbled a quickly coughed, "close your mouth," before the bright eyed girl came to.

Clamping her jaw shut with a sudden snap, she blinked furiously and lightly shook her head. The she went right back to ogling him, but only momentarily before shaking her head again and making an attempt at starting a sentence.

"I, ah…" She began and never finished.

Choji turned to his roommate for answers, needing confirmation that he was not hallucinating or bleeding somewhere he couldn't see or feel. "I'm not wounded, right?" Lee shook his head wearily. "Did I sprout bunny-ears?" he asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Nope." Lee enunciated slowly.

He pointed at Tenten, silently asking him what her problem was, as she had stopped gaping at him, only to look thoroughly panicked as she wildly looked around.

The answer to the unspoken question as to what was Tenten's problem?

"She's a girl," Lee provided, all but rolling his eyes as he watched the twin bunned konoichi bolt from her spot on the couch and b-line for the nearest exit.

"Wait," Choji called from the kitchen, and followed her out the door. "Tenten, wait!"

To his luck she had managed to stop in her tracts, but didn't bother to turn around and look at him.

"Thanks for the snacks," he began softly, not wanting to frighten her further. She turned around to face him, keeping her head bowed low to try to hide the embarrassment on her face. Not wanting to loose the momentum of the conversation he simply asked, "so what did you make today? Anything useful for your mission?"

She shifted her weight nervously from foot to foot and Choji couldn't help but appreciate the figure that stood before him. She was a refreshing sight in comparison to his teammate Ino, whose long limbs and scrawny figure appealed to most men, but not him.

Tenten was long and lean too, but curvier. Her hips were spread wider, and she was filled out nicely, _very_ nicely. He was tempted to take a step closer, but feared he would probably smell gross from just working out, and held his place firmly on the front porch at the door.

"They were just an experiment," she began modestly; "I thought I would try to tweak your mother's lemon bar recipe to see if I could make something different." She looked up with a shy smile and caught his gaze.

"I can't wait to try them," he said with all sincerity. "I have dinner with my parents tonight. I was wondering if you wouldn't mind accompanying me this evening."

Her cheeks hardly turned pink as she quickly answered a "yes," followed by a quick, "see you tonight!" before she turned off the porch and headed home.

…

Sakura lazily looked up from her magazine to try to calm the pacing brunette once more.

"Ino will be here in a minute, would you please stop that?" the pink haired medic-nin asked once more.

Promptly ignoring her, Tenten re-grasped another fist full of her long straight locks and wrapped them firmly around her palm, pulling at them nervously.

"Seriously? Is that why your keep them up in buns on your head like that? You are likely to be bald by the end of the night if you keep that up!" Sakura discarded the periodical and pushed the spacey ninja on her bed to stop the pacing. She forced the konoichi to look her in the eye before coaxing her wrists into letting go of the chestnut-brown strands she seemed so adamantly trying to get rid of.

"Relax!" She commanded, "it's Choji!" she said as if that were something to help soothe her.

At this the girl nearly hyperventilated, taking in gasps of air with alarming distress.

"I know!" Tenten rose, and resumed her pacing around Sakura's bedroom, "It's Choji, the sweetest, nicest, _hottest_, most charming guy I have ever come across," she managed a large breath, "and I have dinner with him and his parents tonight!"

She started back in on pulling at her own hair as she continued her rant.

"I kill enemy ninja for breakfast! I make use of hundreds of weapons at my disposal and I can summon them all at my command…" Sakura could be heard saying things like "testify!" and "too right!" as the brunette ranted on.

"But when he looks at me and smiles," she said fondly thinking of such things, "I turn into a blushing, moronic fan-girl, who can't even formulate an intelligible sentence!"

Sakura didn't know much of what to say at that confession, but she didn't have time to, because Ino popped in the room, throwing a backpack on the floor and taking up a seat on Sakura's vanity chair.

"Hey, what did I miss?" Ino eyed the pacing Weapon's Mistress wearily, "Forehead, catch me up."

"Tenten channels Hinata when she is around Choji," Sakura said flatly in summary. "She is having dinner at the Akimichi residence tonight and is a bit apprehensive about it."

"Oh?" Ino coughed out stunned. "I was invited over there tonight, too."

"See!" Sakura offered to Tenten with a smile, "Ino will be there! No worries! Right Ino?"

"Shikamaru told me that Choji had met someone special and that he was bringing her over tonight for dinner so that we could meet her," she explained dumbly aloud.

"I had no idea it was you, Tenten!" Ino burst out, a bit shocked from the realization.

Now Tenten was pacing, pulling her hair, chewing her lip and hyperventilating at the thought of being inspected over dinner to see if she was worthy of dating the Akimichi heir.

"That is not a _bad_ thing," Ino cajoled as Sakura helped wrangle her to the bed, each taking a wrist in their hand to prevent the girl from losing her long brown locks, "As long as your are serious about this," Ino warned tilting her to the side, "Shikamaru and I won't let anyone dare break Choji's heart. Forehead, how serious is she?" Ino focused her attention back to the jade-eyed girl.

Sakura smiled evilly, "She was over at his apartment talking to Lee, when Choji walked in with out his shirt on."

"And?" Ino prompted the pinkette further.

"She couldn't stop drooling long enough to formulate a sentence," Sakura continued to smile at the girl now biting her lip and blushing from her earlier confession, "kept going on and on about how much she liked how _well built_ he was and how _strong_ he was and how _sexy_ he was and how much she liked his smile…"

"I get it, she thinks he is some kind of Greek god, go on," Ino prompted with rolling motion of her wrist.

"She said she even liked the way he smelled after a work out." Sakura finished with a smirk, effectively making the girl who was trying to hide her embarrassment by sinking further into the bed to disappear from the blush that managed to fill her entire face and spread down her neck.

"Wow, she is turning a new shade of red," Ino observed aloud, "you weren't kidding when you said she channeled Hinata."

Sakura gave her a shrug, and the two started in on making the nervous wreck that was Tenten presentable for her new beaux.

…..

"If you don't stop pulling at your hair, I am going to mind jutsu you and make do something stupid in front of Choji," Ino hissed and smacked her hand away from the soft brown curls that fell weightlessly over Tenten's shoulder.

Tenten didn't pull her hand back up, and chewed on her lip nervously instead, tasting the fruity lip gloss that graced her lips generously.

The door finally opened to the Akimichi residence and Ino and Tenten were let in by Choji's mother, who greeted them with a warm smile.

"My, you girls look lovely this evening," she complimented casually, "the boys are in the living room."

"Thank you," the girls responded in kind and entered to find Shikamaru and Choji hunched over a game of Shogi.

Now, Nara Shikamaru wasn't one for giving a lot of effort into doing, well, just about anything. His body language expressed boredom at all times and he was hardly ever given into expressing anything that looked beyond something that was troublesome, unless of course he was expressing apathy-something he excelled at.

So when he slammed his eyebrows together after taking one look at Tenten, and snapped his head back to look at Choji, whose back was to the two konoichi, Choji sat up from his hunched over position at the Shogi table a bit alarmed.

Following his best friends gaze to look at the konoichi behind him to see what all the fuss was about, Choji stood up, only to have his breath catch in his throat at the sight before him.

He was vaguely aware that Ino was in the room as it seemed that Tenten had taken up all of his attention. Tenten was blushing prettily again, a light shade to match the simple pink dress that graced her body and complimented her figure quite nicely. The ringlets of her hair fell down over her shoulders, and Choji was suddenly impressed with how long her hair actually was. She was beautiful.

Shikamaru stood up from the game too, apathetically shoving his hands into his pockets with a scowl firmly locked on his face. A testament to show only to his friends that he approved, but was on high alert anyways.

Choji was, after all, his best friend.


	3. Chapter 3

"I'm so glad you could come out tonight," Choji smiled down at the brunette by his side. They strolled along the streets of Konoha lazily, enjoying each other's company as Choji walked her home.

"Dinner was wonderful," she simply replied in turn, "your parents are so nice."

"I have a mission tomorrow with my team; I should be back in three days. Can I tempt you to dinner Friday night when I come back? I promise it will be a real date this time and not dinner at my parent's house." He chuckled lightly turning towards her to gauge her reaction.

"I would love to!" she rushed breathlessly.

"Good," he snaked his hand around hers and gave it a gentle squeeze. They strolled to her front door, hands still linked together. He bent over to slowly brush her cheek with his lips. He even managed to sneak his arm around her to pull ever so lightly on one of her silky curls, just to see how soft and springy they really were.

He was momentarily stunned when she wrapped her arms around his neck as he began to pull away. With out hesitation she swept her lips firmly over his in an electrifying first kiss. The kiss only lasted the a few moments he supposed, but the fuzzy feeling it gave him lingered as she pressed her forehead against his before whispering goodnight and slipping into her apartment. Leaving her place in a euphoric high, he headed home.

…..

Shikamaru was without a doubt, a genius. When it came to strategizing a battle, he only needed a few quick minutes to figure out a plan and execute it. Give him more time, and the man could win a war.

But when it came to a split second decision, one that needed only half a breaths moment to think about, Choji was your man. Instantaneous decision skills were his specialty, and if they were in a pinch, his team knew they could rely on his fast-paced skills to get them through. The efficacy of the attack left the barrage of shinobi stunned or out cold. It was also incredibly life threatening and a seemingly capricious move, but any on-the-fly and off-the-cuff plan and execution would be.

"That was brilliant," Shikamaru leaned in to evaluate his friend's wounds, "_stupid_," he emphasized, "but brilliant."

They were out numbered ten to one; rouge nin coming out of the woodworks like rats jumping off of a sinking ship. With out hesitation, he evoked his family's jutsu, raised his giant arm and swatted at them like flies. The results, needless to say, were pretty impressive. Shikamaru and Ino took out the few stragglers that remained, while Choji cleanly neutralized the largest sum. The consequence of his actions was being vulnerable to the jutsus they managed to produce in the split second he attacked. But the gambit, no doubt, saved all their asses.

"Can you move your arm?" Ino asked to the seated man in the tall grass. He looked calm in a sea of passed out ninja surrounding him. A few groans floating idly in the breeze filtering through the green blades.

Choji squinted into the setting sun and shook his head; his right arm remained limp at his side.

The kunai she removed easily and healed that wound well enough; it was the blue marking and burning of a strange kind that worried her the most.

"We need a sling," she sighed in defeat, "I can't treat the other wounds. I don't want to cause more damage."

After wrapping it up carefully, they were off, making their way towards Konoha.

"Why are you in such a hurry, Choji?" Ino asked as she noted him relentlessly pushing his teammates into going just a bit faster. "Does your arm hurt that badly?" she worried suddenly.

"I have a feeling that injury just set him back a few hours to get ready for his date with Tenten," Shikamaru guessed correctly. "You have to check in with the hospital first," he scolded, "Tenten would freak if you saw her still sporting field dressings."

Choji chuckled as he smiled at his friend, knowing that he now had two personal escorts to the hospital.

….

"I'm fine, really," Choji repeated softly to the concerned konoichi across from him, "Just a little sore, that's all." Choji had no idea sporting a sling would surmount to so much fuss on her part. The loving concern over his well being was quite a sight to see, he doubted his mother had ever worried so much about him.

He had just barely got permission to be released, only because Ino fudged some paperwork on his part, but it was all worth it, especially if he could get her to smile.

"So tell me more about your apprenticing job," he distracted her, and leaned into the table with renewed interest.

The rest of the night had passed by splendidly, and Choji really regretted having to end the date as early as he had, but he knew his limits, and his arm was killing him.

As she walked him home, she eluded his pass at a good night kiss and insisted she go inside and take care of him. Not one for arguing if she wanted to play nurse, he quickly acceded.

She shuffled through the freezer on tip toe and gathered enough ice cubes to cram into the ice pack. She padded her way into the living room on light feet, and Choji noted the way she walked with grace and ease. Like she was floating.

She placed the pack gently on his arm, and shifted in a position on his lap to hold the bag firmly in place. His arm might have hurt, but the distraction in his lap was far too captivating to cause him to focus on such things. His good hand instinctively started to rub the small of her back, gliding the silky material she wore back and forth over her skin.

She sighed with contentment, and leaned over to drape her body against his. Hugging her to him, he nuzzled her neck with his nose, taking in a deep breath of her alluring scent.

"You're sure your okay?" she asked again timidly as she undid a few buttons of his shirt to draw lazy circles over his chest with slender fingers.

"Nothing a few kisses can't cure," he teased.

She purred a bit and planted kisses along his jaw; they were slow and deliberated with expert TLC. He hauled her closer with his good arm and pressed a sensual kiss across her mouth. She moved her body slowly against him to intensify the kiss, careful not to jostle his bad arm.

She pulled away after a few warm moments of passionate bliss and carefully crawled off of him, after making him promise to return to the hospital for a full checkup as soon as he woke up in the morning.

He would have agreed to pretty much anything she asked of him after a kiss like that.

He followed her to the door and hungrily captured her mouth with his in another mind-blowing kiss that left them both breathless.

"Get some sleep," she cooed, futzing with his collar after regaining her composure. He nodded, head still fizzy from the sensation she left on his lips that seem to be surging through his body. He reluctantly let her slip away, and couldn't help but loiter at his door a bit appreciatively as he watched her walk away.

Pain from his arm and shoulder brought him back to the present, and he retreated to bed, dreaming only of his fey konoichi.

….

"Tsunade is going to freaking kill me when she sees this!" Ino cried as she sopped up blue puss pouring out from the gash on his forearm. "Blue is not _ever_ a color that should be coming out your skin!" she swiped again more frantically with the gauze, extracting a deep groan from Choji who cringed.

"Ino, calm down, you're hurting him!" Shikamaru placed himself between the two, causing Ino to step back with a muttered apology.

Choji gave the shadow user a grateful look before the buxom medical specialist herself entered the room.

She took a step back at the realization that the color was, in fact, seeping from his skin.

She immediately played the round of twenty questions with him, asking various things that wouldn't normally fit together, but with their line of work, he was used to it. (Where does it hurt? What did the person who did this to you look like? Where they pigmented blue? Can you move your arm? How many fingers can you move? Are you peeing out any funny colors? Have you eaten any smurfs recently?) She poked and prodded until a green glow of chakra finally gave a bit of relief to his raw, irritated skin and surrounding muscles.

"My orders are for you to stay over night for observation," the Hokage announced after re-bandaging the wound. "This poison isn't something to take lightly. He needs to rest until it is out of his system. No exceptions and no fudging paperwork!" she yelled the last part at Ino who hung her head in shame and nodded solemnly. Leaving in a huff, she slammed the door and left team ten alone.

"Who do you want me to tell first?" the pony-tailed boy shoved his pockets further into his pants and asked what looked like a random ceiling tile the question.

Choji sighed, "Take your pick; they are all going to react badly." Choji had nearly lost his life and narrowly escaped without losing a limb. His _everyone_ was going to freak.

"My mother it is," Shikamaru replied. He reasoned that his own mom would be able to tell Choji's parents without him getting yelled at. She would be too eager to spill the news, knowing she had heard the news before them, and would focus her attention on that and not killing the messenger. Tenten, however, was a different story. Not to mention his roommate, Rock Lee.

"I will tell Tenten," Ino piped up from the chair in the corner. "On the off chance she isn't with Lee training, I will mention something to Sakura on my way out."

"Thanks, guys," Choji slurred sleepily after Ino injected some drugs into his IV.

"Get some sleep, we'll be back in a few hours," Shikamaru assured him, but Choji had already nodded off.

…..

It was hard to say whose reaction was worse, Choji's mom, or Choji's roommate. Shikamaru had banked his money on Tenten, but the konoichi, he was told, took the news stoically, and calmly asked when she could visit him.

Choji's mom clutched her chest and nearly walked out the door to race to the hospital before her husband had to remind her to put shoes on and change out of her house robe.

Lee was training with Gai, and the two started shouting things containing "youth" and "vitality" and Shikamaru thought his ears might bleed if he stuck around any longer listening to their tirade.

Brilliant, stupid, troublesome, life-saving Choji.

Knowing the drugs that Ino pumped into his system would last a few hours, he did his normal Choji's-in-the-hospital-with-a-serious-injury routine; he bought a few of his favorite snacks to sneak him during his hospital stay.

For all the genius he was worth, it hadn't occurred to him that Tenten might actually just do the same thing. So he decidedly left the hospital room, seeing as she had already dropped off a complete line of goodies there, and headed to his apartment to stock up his cabinets at his place instead.

That sneaky little konoichi was starting to get on his nerves.

She had hit up his place before going to the hospital, by the looks of it.

He soberly hoped the brightly colored get-well balloon with the squirrel cartoon was from Lee.

He absentmindedly toured the apartment, only being in a few times over the course of the last month. It occurred to him, as he picked up the wooden frame next to his team ten picture, that Shikamaru might not have prepared himself for his best friend moving on without him.

The frame was simple and plain, yes, but the photo inside spoke volumes of happiness that was captured in front of him. He recognized it from the night they all had dinner together earlier that week. Ino had cornered them when they had sat down in the study after dinner, and insisted she get a picture of the two. Choji had whispered something witty and charming to her, drawing out a genuine smile from them both. Tenten was quite photogenic, and the boy, no, _man_, whose arm was wrapped around her was completely and utterly happy.

And in love.

Shikamaru sighed as he stared up at the ceiling. He never thought he would be so jealous of his best friend.

…

A/N Yes the next fic will be a Shikamaru X Tenten…I had some people request that…until then, please read and review….show the TentenXChoji love!

Or hate…I'm down with flames!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Been trying to expand the Tenten love pool…as I am sure you probably know I am not a big fan of pairing her with Neji. Let's face it-I hardly like him, so pairing him up with my favorite character…so not happening. So for everyone out there who is on board with me and reading these non cannon pairings…I thank you. You're pretty. Please review.

….

"I thought he was supposed to go home today?" Shikamaru had his hands clenched in his pockets. Another nurse had come out of Choji's room shaking her head. Ino frowned beside him. She wasn't sure she should tell him that he wasn't eating and had lost about twenty pounds overnight.

"He has a fever, the poison somehow spread. It's gone systemic, Tsunade is checking on him twice a day now. He is going to be here another few days, possibly a week." Ino had her arms folded firmly across her chest as she spoke. One of the few tell-tale signs that she was concerned or tired. Shikamaru noted that she was probably coming off of a shift and was in good need of a meal and shower.

"Ino go home, I can take over from here," he even managed to bring a hand reassuring to her shoulder, "For heaven's sakes eat something." Ino was a classic _vata_ personality. When she was stressed, she simply didn't eat. Ino managed to scoff but took his advice anyways.

Ino was rounding the corner out of sight, when a twin bunned konoichi nearly slipped into Choji's room undetected. Shikamaru jutsued her so fast she was taken by surprise.

"Nara," Gai's one and only female student warned, "Why aren't you letting me go into Choji's room?"

"Sorry, he needs his rest, he just fell asleep and the nurse asked me not to let anyone in," he lied, "come back tomorrow."

"What do you mean, _tomorrow_, he was supposed to be released today!" Tenten ground out forcefully.

Whoops.

"Shikamaru!" she growled slowly, dangerously. He got the feeling she was one not to be trifled with. Did Choji know what he was getting himself into?

Let her see him like hell and death or face her wrath? Choji was going to kill him. He had always envisioned him going out at the hands of Temari; her strangling him with her bare hands. He sighed.

"Just stay calm," he voiced and released his jutsu. "He wouldn't want you to…" but she had already raced inside before he could finish his sentence.

He followed her in and didn't realize that they had hooked him up to so many machines. Ok so it was only a three. But add the IV and he looked like one of Orichimaru's experiments.

Choji's face was sallow and dry for the moment from the fever. He looked smaller for some reason, but it was probably the fact that he was laying on his side, bum shoulder up and in a slight fetal position that threw him off. He was wearing an oxygen mask and Tenten was kneeling beside him, running her fingers through his hair with one hand and desperately clasping his good hand with the other.

She was mumbling some things to him, he realized, and he was willing to bet by the break in her voice she was crying.

Choji was going to murderize him if he got better. _When_ he got better, he amended to himself.

Thank heavens Lee entered when he did. He wasn't quite sure what to do with a crying Tenten. She hadn't tried to seek comfort in him at least. When Ino did this, he always pawned her off on Choji anyways. He was their great big teddy bear and was always better at comforting people than Shikamaru was. Now he wished that he had paid more attention when Choji had consoled his teammate. It would serve him to be better prepare in times like this.

Not that he ever wanted there to be a next time. Choji was the stable rock of team ten, with out him, their team would be torn apart again just like when Asuma died.

He did not like the idea of sharing his best friend at all. At least _his_ girlfriend had the decency to be a three days journey out of the damn country.

…

Choji was released from the hospital after a sketchy touch and go three more days. Shikamaru had escorted him home, one of their traditions after a long hospital stay, and they headed into his new pad so Choji could take a long over-due shower. He had meant to keep the sling out of sight from his friend, not wanting to worry him about why he had decided to keep it, but the shadow user had spied the straps hanging out of his side pocket and told him to put it on before he left.

Rewrapping his bandages over his forearm, he sauntered into his bedroom and noticed the picture of him and his well, girlfriend, on his headboard.

There was a suspiciously large looking Shikamaru fingerprint on the photo. He supposed the chips haphazardly dumped in the corner by his bed were from him. Choji had never suspected him to snoop, but after all, the two were growing up and he had a sneaking suspicion that his friend was not taking all of the new changes in both of their lives as well as he had hoped.

This new balancing act was going to be harder than he had imagined, but Choji wasn't like Shikamaru who wanted a plain and normal life. He was quite happy taking chances, one of the reasons why the split decision skills worked so highly in his favor-Choji wasn't afraid to jump outside his comfort zone. But for all his capriciousness, he hadn't realized that he was a constant in his friend's life that he had come to depend on.

If his friend needed some reassurance, then Choji wasn't one for holding back. Shikamaru was not just a teammate or a friend; he was the brother he never had. Some days, he was the brother he never _wanted_, but he cherished their relationship nonetheless.

Choji quickly got dressed and fingered the photo of him and Tenten one more time with a smile before heading into the living room to meet his friend.

"Let's hit up that new BBQ place downtown," Shikamaru drawled lazily. "I know you've been meaning to try it."

Never mind that Choji had taken Tenten on their first date there. Shikamaru didn't need to know.

"Sounds good," Choji smiled fixing the straps on his sling. "We can take leftovers to Ino on the way out, or grab her to come along, up to you." Choji wanted to make sure that Shikamaru knew the focus was on whatever he wanted right now, even though it was under the pretence of treating him because he just got released from the hospital.

"Too troublesome to get her," Shikamaru paced towards the door, "we can bring her leftovers afterwards."

Choji's interpretation of that was that Shikamaru really wanted one on one time with him. They could reminisce with the obnoxious blonde later, right now, he wanted Choji's undivided attention.

"I could use the exercise afterwards," Choji agreed easily. He knew by now that Shikamaru was familiar with his after being hospitalized routine: shower, eat a big meal, walk around for a while to gather energy with his chakra from the earth to help him heal, take a big nap.

They had hit up Ino's place later than Choji had expected. Choji reminded them that he couldn't stay long…he still had to check in with his parents at the compound before dark to let them know that he was still alive. He deftly avoided mentioning Tenten's name-honestly, Shikamaru could be quite the sensitive one sometimes.

The boys made sure that Ino ate a healthy portion of the take-out before being satisfied enough to leave.

The boys parted ways, and Choji made a point to loose the sling at his apartment and check his bandages for oozing before heading off to his parents. Not to mention taking pain killers in Akimichi proportions.

He greeted his mother with kisses on either side of her cheeks and reassured her, (man did everyone need a lot of reassurance lately it seemed,) that he was indeed fine. He had just eaten, thanks, and no he wouldn't be staying the night here. Yes, his arm was going to heal alright, and no, he did not need leftovers from dinner.

"Mom, really, I have to go, I was released over three hours ago and I haven't even seen Tenten yet," Choji nearly pleaded with his worried mother.

"She was over here earlier, I explained your hospital routine to her, she is waiting for you at your apartment," she smiled fondly at her son, who brightened significantly at her words.

"Thanks, Mom!" he hugged her tightly and made his way out the door.

…..

Choji walked into darkness and the glare of the TV shining on the three shinobis lined up with wide eyes on the futon.

Tenten's head immediately turned in his direction, and a relieved smile graced her face. He was home.

She sprung up from her spot and jumped at him, pressing her figure into his into a welcome-home-thank-Kame-your-okay hug.

Sakura and Lee had managed to look up from their respective spots on the couch to smile and mumble the same sentiments that Tenten's hug had already conveyed.

It was good to be home.

Choji noted that Lee turned off the TV and hit the lights as Choji wearily eyed his sling. He was extremely tempted to put it on, but knew that would only make his girlfriend worry.

There was enough concern over him; he didn't need anyone to fuss anymore than they already had.

"Don't stop watching on my account," he called to the two, but continued to look at Tenten when he spoke. "I didn't mean to interrupt your evening."

"That was a re-run anyways," Sakura explained with a bit of a lazy Shikamaru-like drawl.

"We were just waiting for you to arrive so we could watch the movie Lee rented."

"Sounds good," he answered back as he his hands roamed over Tenten's shoulders in an attempt to dispel her concern over him as she fussed with the bandages on his arms half-heartedly.

"I'm fine," he whispered looking her in the eyes. She nodded and pulled him gently with his good arm to the futon plopping him on the floor in front of it so she could massage his shoulders.

Now he knew it had just been getting dark by the time Lee and Sakura disappeared off to none-his-damn-business and he didn't care because he was now sitting on the futon, with a Weapon's Mistress strategically placed in his lap, showing him how very much she had missed him over the last few days.

Apparently, she was making up for lost time and took the job as head kiss-it-to-make-it-all-better very seriously. Choji had had some nice drugs while he was in the hospital, but nothing was quite as addictive as the subtle taste of lip gloss on her full lips, the soft feel of her skin against his, or those sweet little moans she let out every so often when they kissed. Choji wasn't sure how far she was going to allow things to escalate, and he wouldn't mind knowing himself, but the pain in his arm became overwhelming, despite his attention being directed elsewhere.

"Tenten," he groaned reluctantly, "we have to stop, my arm…"

She carefully scrambled off of him with alarm and Choji straightened wincing as he did.

"What do you need?" she asked fretfully inspecting his bandaged arm.

"I'm over due for some meds, do you mind getting them for me?" he motioned to the counter with his good arm. She nodded and brought him a glass of water with two large blue pills in hand. Ironic, considering he was trying to get rid of the color blue, but he swallowed them and thanked his girlfriend with a smile.

"You should get some sleep," she stated, "I can tuck you into bed."

Choji liked the sound of that. He had half a mind to see if he could tempt her into joining him in bed with him, if only to snuggle and fall asleep next to her, but he decided not to in the long run. It was quite clear she was as interested in a physical relationship with him as he was with her, and good things come to those who wait.

But apparently her idea of tucking him in was to place more sensual kisses on his lips and pin him against the head board of his bed with her body until he couldn't see straight as her hands roamed over every inch of his body.

"Tenten," he breathed heavily, "I am losing control here," he confessed with a hint of warning.

She was nibbling his ear when she asked if his arm still hurt. He admitted that it didn't but that wasn't the issue. She innocently asked just what the issue was as she divested him of his shirt. He flipped her onto his bed with her back now on the mattress, he hovering over her hungrily, explaining with his slow languid kisses down her neck and collar bone that she was in over her head.

She responded by unbuckling his pants.

Okay, maybe _he_ was in over his head.


	5. Chapter 5

Choji was starting to become aware that he had let his hormones override the pain sensors in his brain to accommodate his actions. His good arm was allowing him to prop him up over his girlfriend so he could continue to give her another breathless kiss, slow and drudging while she fumbled with his belt buckle. When the pain surged again, it was harder to ignore and his bandaged arm was trembling as he grazed the rough edges of his hands over her soft flesh. This time, his eyes darted to the corner of his bedroom where his katana leaned against the wall and he briefly considered cutting off his arm so he could continue. The action clearly outweighed stopping and going to bed, but the medicine he had taken earlier was starting to make him fuzzy, and the searing in his arm became too relentless to outright ignore anymore. His body caved under his weight, his good arm sliding out so fast he nearly crushed Tenten. Luckily he managed to roll as it did, grunting from the pain of his arm and the frustration of realizing that he had really pushed it too far and there was no way he was going to be able to continue.

And he really _wanted_ to continue.

"Oh no!" Tenten scrambled up from her position on the bed to Choji's side. "I'm sorry!"

Choji opened his eyes, squinting hard from the pain to look up at Tenten's large doe-eyed stare and nearly melted at her concern. He realized that she really did care for him, and he was beginning to wonder if he wasn't falling so hard he would never recover. He cupped his good hand around her chin, noting just how easily that he could cover her entire face with his giant paw. Her eyebrows were knit together with worry, and her lips were swollen from his kisses.

"I'm fine, Ten," Choji reassured her with a half smile, "I just very, _very_ regrettably need to stop." He blinked and looked away as he said the verys, as if reminding his body that it needed to calm down. He focused on the pain instead of her very petite body next to his. He propped himself up into a sitting position against his bed frame, throwing his sling back on. Tenten crawled into his lap, and he let his good hand comfort her, gliding it up and down her arm as he nuzzled into her hair, inhaling the deep scent of heavenly fey. She rested against him, casually threading her fingers through the tuffs of his chest.

She sighed with contentment, then turned around to kiss him thoroughly, almost as a reminder that she was not going to let him get away next time.

There was another strong urge on his part to detach the appendage causing him so much grief and take the willing woman into his bed, but then there was a stronger pain throbbing in his forearm, and that quickly squashed that idea altogether.

She was slipping reluctantly off of his bed, slinking towards the door, taunting him with those impossibly long and smooth legs of hers as she swished her hips.

His eyes were already half closed, only willing themselves to stay as open as they were because of her presence. As soon as she shut the door with a simple "good night" he heard himself say "I love you," before he closed his eyes and drifted off.

(o)

"You realize that your arm is bleeding through your bandages, right?" Shikamaru looked at his best friend who was dripping blood on the floor outside of his apartment.

It was early in the morning, and it looked like Choji had literally ran over to his place, seconds after waking up. His long, rust colored hair was disheveled and he still sported his pj bottoms and an old worn clan shirt. It seemed Choji hadn't registered what he was trying to tell him about his arm, the man looked like he had seen a ghost. Shikamaru rolled his eyes, "Just get in before I lose my security deposit." Shikamaru nearly pulled the giant man through the door by the arm that wasn't bleeding. "Sit while I re-bandage your arm." Shikamaru disappeared to the bathroom to riffled through his medicine cabinet for a first aid kit, when he got back, his friend was running his fingers through his red hair with an anxiousness that he had never seen before.

"Did you and Tenten have a fight?" Shikamaru ventured as he swathed fresh strips of cloth over the sopping white strips on his meaty forearm.

Choji gave him a desperate look, then shook his head.

"She break up with you?" Shikamaru tried again, his eyes darting from his task to worried onyx eyes that Shikamaru couldn't quite get a read on. Choji shook his head no.

"Then what is it?" Shikamaru's patience was being tested. He had never had to probe the Akimichi for information before, and the lack of outright confession regarding something that had his best friend in such a frenzy that he hadn't noticed he was bleeding was more than alarming the shadow user.

Choji paled like he had not eaten in a while. There was another disturbing thought: something that kept the man from eating could only be a bad thing.

"Choji if she cheated on you…"

"She didn't cheat on my, I told her I loved her."

Shikamaru had momentarily stopped the swathing of his arm to blink rapidly at his friend and ask stupidly, "What?"

"We were," Choji made a telling face, "_you know_," Shikamaru nodded wisely, prompting him to proceed, Choji continued, "and we were about to, _you know_, and then my arm hurt and I was fuzzy from the medication and then it slipped out." He let out a breath of air and began raking his fingers through his rust-colored locks again.

Shikamaru knit his brows with vague concern, "so what is the problem? Do you _not_ love her?"

Choji shot up as if some one had taken a hot brand to his back, "of course I love her!" he nearly shouted, and at his confession, he paled considerably and sat back down. "Oh dear Kami, I love her, and that was how I told her! She is never going to speak to me again!"

Shikamaru shook his head to clear the ludicrous words that came out of Choji's mouth that seemed to be ringing in his ears.

"Wait, _that_ is what you are worried about? Not the fact that you admitted that you love her, but how the admission transpired?"

Choji nodded, as if confirming his tragedy.

Trying in vane to push his friend off the corner of the couch, he shoved him with frustration, "That is it? You come in here bleeding all over the place because you think you told her that you loved her _wrong_?" Shikamaru was up pacing, throwing his arms in the air and running hands through his hair, "Choji this chick is driving you crazy!" Driving _him_ crazy.

Choji stood up abruptly, jumping to his gilfriend's defense, "Shikamaru," he intoned with warning, "I am merely thinking of her feelings; things are going so well, I can't risk ruining them before she leaves."

"She's got you whipped! Listen to yourself speak, man!" Shikamaru heard himself say before he could stop himself. Where was his lazy, indolent self that would normally just shrug it off and say it was too troublesome? Why was he now suddenly piping up and potentially butting in where he shouldn't? Why could he just be supportive and shut up?

Choji's jaw was clenched, his masseter muscle bulging from the concentric contraction, "Thank you for bandaging my arm, Shikamaru, I will see you at practice today," and the husky man left in one swift movement with a simple click of the door, leaving Shikamaru to wonder about his own sanity.

The thought crossed his mind again that he was not ready for Choji to love a girl yet. It was too soon, they were too young, he wasn't ready. Shikamaru wasn't ready that is.

Realizing he had been a real jackass in Choji's time of need he quickly changed and was making breakfast when he heard another knock on the door.

"Tenten?" Shikamaru spoke, somewhat stunned as to why she would visit him at all. The twin-bunned girl gave him a sad smile, then politely asked if she could come in. Nodding, he opened the door and let her through. He waved a hand to sit in the living room, and the girl sat down and respectively frowned at his coffee table.

"There is fresh blood all over the place," she said pointing to the table in front of her. Then she looked over Shikamaru up and down as if inspecting him for wounds. Shikamaru suddenly felt very uncomfortable under her scrutiny and swallowed audibly. "You aren't injured and I just ran into Shino before I came here so I know it's not his," she concluded almost as if to herself.

She suddenly shot up with realization, and headed for the door, but Shikamaru cut her off by blocking her. "He's fine Tenten, I patched him up. He just ripped some stitches is all."

"Is that why he is avoiding me?" Tenten asked suddenly, "Because he is upset that his stitches ripped and it's all my fault?" It was then that she looked up with watery eyes, pleading for Shikamaru to either deny or confirm the charges lay down.

"Sit down," he heard himself say, already reviling himself for getting involved.

Tenten silently slipped back on the edge of the couch, hanging on to Shikamaru's every word. How to begin?

"He was just upset about the way that things transpired last night, and he panicked because he didn't want to hurt your feelings," he rushed out with an eye roll. Honestly chicks were so sensitive.

Tenten looked contemplative and nodded slowly, looking extremely crestfallen, yet calm. She walked silently to the door, opened it, and mumbled a thank you before leaving.

Shikamaru patted the small tuffs of hair on the back of his neck absentmindedly: he hadn't expected that to be so nerve wracking.

(o)

Choji had not wanted to find himself in the hospital, waiting in Urgent Care for someone to stitch him back up from somehow tearing them last night. He couldn't wait for practice that morning to get Ino to patch him up either. After his shower he noticed that no matter how he looked at it, immediate attention was required if he intended to train later on that day. A pink-haired medic nin popped her head around the corner, calling his name and suddenly darting her head up at the surprise of her boyfriend's roommate's name. She was shocked upon hearing the name escape her lips, and the large man got up and cordially greeted Tsunade's apprentice with a warm smile.

"Choji what did you do now?" she asked as she guided him down the hall into a room. He sat down as directed while she unwrapped the white strips of cloth that had bled through not long after placing them on. "Want to explain how this happened?" she asked quietly as she set about her work.

"It either happened last night, or I did it in my sleep." Choji mumbled passively as she finally got down to bare skin. She winced when she saw just how deep and angry the cut was, clucking her tongue at him with admonishment.

"Did you and Tenten go at it or something," Sakura teased, which only served to remind Choji about how upset Tenten must be and he scowled.

"Whoa, sorry, I thought you two were doing well?" she offered as her hand glowed green from her healing chakra.

Some how, Choji ended up spilling everything to her like a silly girl, from what had happened between him and Tenten last night to everything that happened that morning with Shikamaru.

"She won't be mad", Sakura rested a hand on his shoulder gently to comfort him, "trust me, girls love to be told that you love them, and if I know Tenten, then she will be thrilled that it wasn't just said because you were in a drugged stupor, but that you really mean it." She patted him with on the shoulder and gave him a reassuring smile.

Choji had to hand it to Sakura as he headed out of the room, his arm felt brand new, and he no longer needed the bandages or the sling.

Heading towards home to finally eat a proper meal, he couldn't help but over hear (who couldn't really) Lee approach Sakura at the front desk. Choji wasn't one for gossip, rumors, or for eavesdropping, but he couldn't help but linger at the exit door just to hear what had the taijutsu user in such a state. Lee did dramatic in his own personal way, not with big wavy hands or epic screams, but with fervent words edged with an erie politeness that had Choji grip the handle on the metal door he was holding until it bent ever so slightly.

"Sakura, I believe my teammate is in need of medical assistance," Lee explained with serene conviction. Choji could tell now that Sakura was on high alert as well; it was unusual that Lee would come to Sakura like this unless it was an actual emergency.

"Lee, what happened? Who's hurt?" Sakura asked with alarm, "Is everyone okay?"

Lee shook his head slowly, "I believe my teammate is in need of medical assistance," he repeated. "Please help, I do not understand what is wrong with Tenten, she has requested to take the day off of training."

"What? How does that mean she is sick? Did she look healthy to you when you saw her?" Sakura probed.

Lee shook his head so that the black locks loosely mimicked his movement, "No, Tenten did not look well, but she would not speak to us concerning her health issues. She claimed that she was fine in any physical regard."

"Lee, then why do you think she needs medical assistance?" Sakura asked with frustration and curiosity.

"Tenten has never asked to skip practice before," Lee simply stated slowly, as to let those words sink in. Sakura repeated them back aloud with awe and contemplation.

"Tenten has _never_ asked to skip practice before," the words were starting to take hold. Any sane person that had Neji, Lee and Gai Sensei for their team would have asked to skip practice at least once before, if not ten dozen times. Most teams got together to practice as Lee stated, but _their_ team got together to see just how badly they could piss-pound each other. Surely Tenten had asked to skip practice before?

"Lee, there has to be a time, when Tenten wasn't feeling well, that she asked to bail on practice," Sakura spoke as the Akimichi came up behind her.

"Lee, where is she?" Choji all but demanded.

"Neji and I agreed that he would escort Tenten home while I came to get medical assistance." Lee supplied, "she does not know how concerned we are for her; she is quite out of it."

Choji was off like a rocket, the new healing in his arm not weighing him down as he sped through the village, hitting the rooftops to save on time. He was nearly caving the door in as he pounded on it, calling out her name with so much urgency that you would have thought there was another invasion on the horizon.

Finally, the door cracked open to reveal a pair of watery sable-colored eyes peering curiously out at Choji with alarm. With furrowed eyebrows she sniffed, and tried to quickly swipe of the back of her hand to her face before turning to face him again. She had been crying - that much was certain.

"Tenten are you alright?" he rushed inside before she had a chance to protest. He cupped her face in his hands and quickly inspected her for any superficial wounds. "Are you hurt?" he continued his query, "Did someone hurt you? What happened?"

"I'm fine." She stated without much conviction.

Choji was going out of his mind, reaching dead ends and wrong conclusions. "Tenten, please, I need to know that you are okay."

"I'm fine," she stated once more and shuffled past him into the kitchen to make some tea.

"Liar! Tell me what happened! You never miss practice, something is obviously wrong." The large man accused as he followed her into the kitchen, effectively taking up most of the floor space with his bulky form. Tenten continued to shake her head and look at the floor.

"Tenten, please, I can't fix it if I don't know what's wrong. How am I supposed to make the woman I love happy if she doesn't tell me anything?" Choji quickly moved across the kitchen in one small step and lifted the Weapon's Mistress of Konoha onto the counter so they could see eye to eye. Her legs instinctively encircled his pelvis, reminding him again of their encounter last night. But she was hesitating, leaning back instead of forward, still guarded and holding back.

"Your arm is better," she half asked, half stated.

"Yes, but that still doesn't explain why you're upset," Choji searched her face, anything for a give away, but she refused to meet his gaze. Choji brushed some errant strands of silky hair away from her face.

"I'm glad you are feeling better." She spoke with sincerity as far as he could tell. She squirmed a little from his proximity, his ever focused obsidian eyes trained on her features, waiting for her to give something away.

"Tenten, listen about last night…" Choji began but Tenten squeezed her eyes shut as if he had slapped her with his words.

"Don't," she stated softy but firmly, clearly upset by the mere mention of last night. Her eyes finally met his, they were defiant, strong, hurt and the fey that he normally saw was diminished by the pain. She was putting up a barrier, something to protect her from him.

"Don't what Tenten?" Choji was hoping he wasn't about to hear what was already coming out of her mouth.

"Don't say you love me." Tenten replied in a breathless whisper breaking eye contact with him again.

Breathing seized in his chest like all of the Kage Mountain was suddenly placed on his ribcage. There was only one reason why she would say such a thing, and Choji feared that it was too soon or bad timing. Perhaps it was a bit of both.

The only thing that escaped from his lungs was an almost silent "why" that had too many angles of which to be answered to give a reply to.

"You can't! You can't say it if you don't mean it! You can't be with me if you are only honest to Shikamaru about your feelings!" There was a rage there, the spark of imp, the wildfire burning in her eyes turning them to whiskey, it was that passion, that flame he was drawn to, pulling him in, daring him to feel the heat.

"What the hell did he tell you?" Choji suddenly asked, fresh with a bloodlust for his best friend. "What do you mean, if I don't mean it? Tenten I love you, of course I mean it, it just wasn't supposed to come out half slurred while I was doped up on medication last night."

"What?" Tenten snapped her attention to he man occupying the space in front of her. "But he said there was a misunderstanding…" she trailed off with explanation.

"Tactician - yes, informant - not so much," Choji explained his friend's pitfall. He waited until the information hit her hard then continued, "I was upset because I wanted to tell you properly, and I didn't want you to be upset because of the way that it came out. Shikamaru…" were there any words for how many ways he was going to make that shadow user pay? "Well, let's just say it's a good thing that Temari's fan jutsu doesn't extend across a three day's journey or Konoha would be a lot windier."

Tenten finally smiled for him, rather shyly and reluctantly, but it was genuine and he couldn't help but feel relief.

"Kitchen counter was also **not** where I wanted to tell you," Choji fingered the delicate hairs on the nape of her neck, soft and feather like. "But," he scooted her closer to him, which was easy as he grasped her firmly on her rump and glided her forward, her sparring outfit like lubricant on the counter as he pulled. She let out the most adorable gasp and he hungrily indulged himself in her lips, taking them in slowly and thoroughly, letting his body warmth pierce her as he hovered over her. She let out that tiny hum of pleasure from the back of her throat, and Choji reluctantly broke the kiss to inform her, "I love you," before continuing were he left off.

This time, she was the one to pull back, taking in a breath before mimicking his words back to him and then fisted the collar on his shirt to reign him into another sensual nip of his lower lip. Choji groaned with hungry lust and frustration that the kitchen counter in mid-morning was neither the time nor the place to finish the business that he so desperately wanted to finish last night. Pure carnal pleasures would have to wait until later as they both had team practice to finally get around to attending, and Choji was hoping to make it up to her later on that evening. Choji walked her hand in hand to her teammates that were waiting for her at the training grounds. He leaned down to place a peck on her cheek, but Tenten swiftly maneuvered her head so that he landed on her lips instead. She blushed slightly from her brazen move in front of her team, and Choji chuckled at the crimson reaction. He noted also her team's response to the kunoichi's return. Neji looked infinitely relieved, as if dealing with the problem was something akin to dealing with girl's menstruation problems and Lee and Gai were actually acting somewhat normal. Gai gave his nice guy pose, and Lee only patted her on the back and nodded curtly over his shoulder to Choji as Tenten was engulfed in the fold of Team Gai. All was well and back to normal.

Now to find Shikamaru and cram an Akimichi-sized fist down his throat.

uouououououououou

A/N: Honestly the only reason I started writing more on this fic was because I checked my e-mail and some one had posted an alert for this for when it updated. Kami bless your soul, that was inspiring, there ain't a lot of Choji fans out there. Hope I am doing that boy some justice.

Cheers!

~jaggedjacket~


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Just a warning: All that is in this chapter is Shikamaru getting threatened and beat up. Enjoy!

(o)

Shikamaru had faced the possibility of death several times before. His earliest memory would be shortly after he had learned to use his shadow jutsu. His ego swollen from his new clan's unique ability, he had mentioned to his mother that he was stronger than she was and didn't have to do his chores if he didn't want to and he casually mentioned something about how easily it would be to take her out now that he was a ninja. The threat to Shikaku's wife did not go unwarranted, and as soon as his father learned what had transpire, the young Nara found himself lifted off the floor by his throat and shoved indiscriminately up against the hallway wall. His father made some very angry threats to him right then and there, a rage in his father's voice and eyes that was uncommon of the mostly indolent man. Apparently if you threatened his wife, (HIS WOMAN, he remembered him saying possessively), it was like poking a sleeping Gaara in the eye. His father had no qualms ending the family line right then and there, and Shikamaru was certain his father would make good on the threat if he ever attempted something like it again. Needless to say, he never spoke out of line to his mother again, and had just a little bit more respect for his father after that incident.

Then there was the time that he had led a team to go after that Uchiha kid. His whole team came back damaged in some way or another, and Shikamaru's life would have ended there on the battlefield if his future girlfriend hadn't come to his rescue. Now that was scary. And seriously embarrassing.

There were countless missions were he thought his life would be in danger of course, but never ever did he feel that his last breath of air might come at any moment. He thought of this as he struggled for another breath; the constriction of his lungs forcing air in and out of his chest with great effort.

Foresight was starting to be an ability he was no longer capable of having. All the signs were there, it was something he probably blocked out, like when that vein in Temari's forehead throbbed right before she smacked him with her giant fan. He most likely just didn't want to think it was coming, and that he was imagining things.

There were signs that this was not going to end well. The fight in the apartment before hand, the pissed off look he had right before they started sparring, they all lead to the reasons why he was gasping for air. Signs certainly showed he wasn't going to win the fight to begin with either. Somehow he had always guessed that his best friend might win if they were ever to get down to it. He had more mass but was quicker now, and he supposed the man's roommate helped him gain those amazing taijustu skills he just suddenly decided to pull out of nowhere. Then there was the fact that he was totally and completely justified for being righteously pissed at him. That fact seemed to make his defeat just a bit more real to him, but at least his friend had not given him any internal bleeding…that he knew of…yet…at any rate, he had to focus on breathing as the large man was sitting on his chest.

Choji was speaking, and he really should be paying attention as the man was getting patiently impatient with Shikamaru's lack of response.

"Repeat it back," Choji spoke just loud enough for him to hear over the throbbing of his heartbeat in his chest and ears. His middle burned and ached for a deep breath and Shikamaru let out a straggled reply as he tried to curse his best friend's name.

Choji graciously allowed some of his weight to shift off of his diaphragm, and Shikamaru sucked in a hearty amount of air before answering in clipped, monosyllabic curses and coughs.

He could hear him sigh and felt his weight against his chest again, as if he were admonishing a truculent child with all the patience of a veteran father. Getting the picture, he let out another garbled retort, this one not recalcitrant like the last, but one of finally acquiescing to his demands. Choji let off his chest again and waited with raised eyebrows for his response.

"I promise never to talk to your girlfriend," Shikamaru began and took another half breath, "about something like your feelings," another sucked in breath, "unless I am under obligation of death," he sputtered, "or I explain in more than just a few words what I am talking about." Choji seemed satisfied, and didn't lean back into the constricting squat on his chest, but he didn't release him right away either. He looked mildly bored as the looked up at his other teammate, as if he was mentally evaluating if he should continue the torture or to let him up.

Ino was hovering over him now and she looked rather unhappy with him as well. He certainly didn't expect anything less from the overly protective blonde.

"You are lucky he isn't sitting on your face," she spoke with a venom that let him know she didn't feel sorry for him at all. "I am beginning to wonder just what Temari sees in you." She shook her head out of pity, and Choji finally rolled off of him. Shikamaru sat up, only to have Ino kick him back down, knocking what little air he could fill his lungs with right back out.

"That's for making my friend cry," she explained with a lifted chin of authority, "Temari will probably kick your ass when she finds out, and I can't _wait_ to watch that." She taunted over him. Choji offered a hand to help him up, which he took gratefully and Shikamaru sputtered a bit before muttering apologies to Choji and embracing him in an all-is-forgiven/thank-you-for-not-killing-me hug.

The words that Ino spoke were ringing in his ears, and it was time to put his oxygen-starved brain into overtime before Temari came to Konoha, only to piss-pound him with her fan after hearing how horribly Shikamaru skewed the whole situation.

He would definitely have to butter her up, and explain that he wasn't trying to sabotage their relationship, it was merely a misunderstanding.

Yeah, because _that_ would somehow get him out of trouble. He was going to get his ass beat again, and he had a feeling Lee and Neji were itching to be on the top of the list after Ino as he saw their looming forms come closer to them from a distance. Choji walked over to them, hailing them and engaging them in a side conversation while Shikamaru finally returned to his normal shade of pale instead of the purple and red hues he was demonstrating under his torturous asphyxiation.

Whatever his friend said while he was regaining feeling in his lower extremities, it made them leave quietly with out confrontation. By the murderous looks and killing intent rolling off of them in waves, he was certain that this one save was a freebee, and that all bets were off if he screwed up again. They left him alone almost reluctantly, and Shikamaru had a hard time determining which one wanted to beat the snot out of him more as they turned and left the training grounds.

(o)

If Shikamaru thought that his mom was going to react poorly to the news that would inevitably go around about how Shikamaru had misinformed Choji's girlfriend about his feelings towards her, it was nothing compared to the death look Choji's mother had given him the next time he was over at the complex. He should have known better than to stop by there looking for his friend only a day after the incident occurred. He certainly wasn't prepared to be yanked aside when no one was looking by Choza and pinned against the wall similarly like his father had done to him so many years ago after threatening his mom.

"Listen here you little twerp," the giant man began in a not-so-very controlled tone, one that was only low because he knew his wife was in the kitchen and he didn't want her to over hear. Shikamaru had flashbacks to similar angry eyes and killing intent. It was déjà vu only with Choji's dad instead of his own.

"You may be my best friend's son, and my son's best friend," he readjusted his grip around Shikamaru's collar, causing an involuntary strangled gasp to release from his throat, "but that doesn't mean you can screw with my son's happiness because you think that buys you some kind of protection."

Shikamaru could only nod before the man continued, "you will not be interfering in their relationship. You make her cry: I make you scream. Have I made myself clear?"

Another nod from the wide-eyed Nara and he was finally set back down on his feet. "Good, because my wife happens to like Tenten a lot better than you," Choza was reaching out to fix the collar that was bunched from his enormous fist just moments ago, and the suddenly nice act had Shikamaru's senses on high alert as oxygen returned to his half-starved brain, "and since we intend to keep her as family, we will be protecting her as one of our own. So, if you have any sense of self preservation, you will do well to remember that." He lightly dusted off his shoulders and the scared ninja dumbly nodded his accent.

"Good," the clan leader intoned cheerfully, "then we understand each other." With a hearty slap to Shikamaru's back, one that had him stumbling forward to catch his balance, he pushed him out the door and slammed it in his face.


	7. Chapter 7

Shikamaru scowled as he woke up with another death threat taped to his chest. It made thirty-two threats in all, this being the fifth one he found laying on his chest (or written on his forehead backwards) that week.

Honestly, weren't there more original ways to threaten ninjas nowadays?

He supposed that he had already received the full range of creative ways in which people were going to disembowel him if he ever decided to meddle again. He hadn't even counted the evil glares and open public reviling. No, there was too much of that going on to keep track of. Apparently Tenten and Choji were a very beloved couple in Konoha, and thanks to Ino, everyone knew of Shikamaru's transgressions against them.

His girlfriend was due to arrive in town soon. He had explained thoroughly what had happened in a letter, and he had been awaiting her reply with mixed feelings of apprehension. Instead he received a very loquacious letter from the Kazekage himself about how he wouldn't mind risking diplomatic relations with Konoha by way of introducing Shikamaru's cerebral spinal fluid to his sand. It was all very eloquently written in contrast to the brief letter accompanying it from Kankuro.

Shikamaru wasn't sure how the two had adopted Tenten like a second sister, and were so protective of her, but the monosyllabic letter penned in with murderous intent was enough to make him audibly gulp as he read the simple text aloud.

"No make Tenten cry, or I will gouge your eyes."

Apparently death threats didn't need things like proper grammer or elaboration to make one feel as if you needed to walk on eggshells and sleep with one eye open (while you still had it.) The simple efficacy of the rhyme sent a shiver through his spine, (the part that the Kazekage was interested in becoming more familiar with if he should ever slip up again.)

He didn't even want to think about what would happen to him if he ever screwed up with Temari.

By far the most creative threat to date would be from none other than Maito Gai.

The man's proximity was enough to raise the hackles on his neck and make him uncomfortable as he put a hand around Shikamaru's shoulders in a menacing way. The threat of actually having to spend more time with the crazed green-clad ninja and have lessons involving the power of youth was downright creepy and disturbing. To say that Gai was protective of his one and only female student would be an understatement. And Shikamaru was certain that the jounin would make good on his casual promise to tear him limb from limb (in the most youthful fashion) if Shikamaru ever got caught in her presence alone with her again.

This was followed by a quick and neat break to his upper arm. Apparently the man was an advocate that violence should follow a threat, just in case the young Nara missed the gist of what he was saying. Shikamaru had to admire the man for the execution of his blow. The break was clean and set easily by Sakura and he was set and ready to go back out to receive more threats of bodily harm and personal injury with in the hour.

He had just received his twelfth black eye and fat lip not five minutes after leaving the hospital and was on his way to find Ino, praying that he hadn't used up all of her good favor by asking her to heal yet another injury from the incident, when he ran into Temari.

Stunned, he didn't know weather he should run away or try to explain again what happened, get into a defensive position, (duck and cover and pray to Kami that her fan didn't strike a vital organ as she piss-pounded him with it) or if he should just kiss her.

It was always his urge to take in her full lips with his and ask questions later, but he had to remind himself that distance bred unfamiliarity and he would have to get her used to the idea of being close physically to him again before he could attempt a full frontal assault on her.

"Temari," was all he could muster through his bulging lip as he stood stock-still. She had her hand on her hip and was shaking her head, and from what he could tell with the eye that wasn't swollen shut, she wasn't going to try to kill him at the moment.

"Baka," she countered, but not in a way that meant she felt all that sorry for him. Instead, she looked over his wounds with a hushed awe and mild sympathy. "Let's go find Ino," she spoke with exasperation. Shikamaru nodded and took his girlfriends hand. At least there was one person who didn't want to kill him at the moment.

(o)

"We need to talk," the Weapon's Misstress took a step forward, making Shikamaru instinctually take a step backwards. He looked around for not only an escape route, but to make sure they weren't alone. Shikamaru panicked as he realized that they were, and hastily stammered out that he needed to be anywhere but there. His first actions back in Konoha after a long mission shouldn't be ones that led to more bodily harm, he reasoned.

Tenten frowned. "I just wanted to apologize if my sensei threatened to break your arm or something. I know he can be overprotective of me. Has something to do with never seeing me cry before until that day." She admitted with a half mumble.

"He definitely didn't _threaten_ to break my arm," Shikamaru spoke truthfully. The man outright broke it without hesitation or much preface.

"Good," Tenten shifted her weight between her feet. "My teammates didn't do anything too outlandish, did they?" she asked with hesitation.

Those psychos tied him to a training pole and shut off his flow of chakra and then used him for a punching bag for the better part of an hour. Then they left him there.

"Nothing I couldn't handle." Shikamaru lied. There was a long pause before Tenten began again.

"I don't know if you hate me, or just the thought of me dating your best friend," Tenten started much to Shikamaru's amazement, "but it doesn't matter."

"Okay," Shikamaru said slowly, he knew a trap when he sensed it, and this was definitely a trap.

"So what happened made me think that I shouldn't come between him and his best friend. I want Choji to be happy, and I know that he was happy before I came along…"

He cut her off, because he could only imagine the horrors that waited for him with the coming of her next sentence. Choza was going to flay him alive and serve him up for dinner, "You are NOT breaking up with him. That WILL NOT make him happy, Tenten, trust me. You are the best thing that ever happened to him, and just because his best friend is jealous that his girlfriend lives in town and while his is in another country does not mean that you are coming between them. It means that Choji's best friend needs to grow up and face the fact that he is totally in love with his girlfriend and that means he has to respect that he can't spend every waking moment with him like they when they were genin."

Tenten brightened, but chewed her lip hesitantly anyways. He figured he should continue.

"Choji is crazy about you, Tenten, do not for one minute doubt that. Promise me there will be no more talk about you breaking up with him." She smiled at him, "for my sake," he added.

That earned him a full smile, and Shikamaru was exceptionally happy that he had inadvertently prevented his own death. He had to appreciate her motives; she had Choji's best interests at heart. At least he knew that his best friend was in good hands. He couldn't really ask for more.

You know, other than everyone to stop using him a guinea pig to flush out some form of torture they've been dying to experiment with.

"Thanks Shikamaru," she said. "I'm glad Choji has such a good friend. I suppose next week you will get more time with him, seeing as how I'm leaving for a while." She rocked back on her heels feeling the awkward moment fall between them.

Shikamaru had almost forgotten about that.

No wonder Choji had busted his ass on the three week mission (which should have been a four week by all accounts) they got back from today. She hadn't even seen Choji yet, and his friend was probably looking frantically everywhere for her.

"You should go see him, he missed you." Shikamaru drawled in a lazy tone as he shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Thanks Shikamaru," she stated again before turning and leaving.

(o)

Choji's heart momentarily stopped as he finally met up with Tenten and he could only think of what Shikamaru had divulged to him one night of star gazing during their three weeks away from Konoha on their last mission. The indolent man had made mention of how everytime there was a long period of time that lapsed between seeing his girlfriend, all he wanted to do the moment he saw her was kiss her senseless. He quickly stated that he never gave into the urge, because after the long period of going with out physical contact, he always felt he should ease her into his presence again so that it didn't feel awkward to her.

That and he didn't want to get slapped or beat with her fan for being too forward.

Choji used the most restraint he had ever used in all his life when he had walked up to her. He slowly took a delicate wrist, and fervently placed a gentlemanly kiss on the dorsal surface of her hand. Tenten smiled innocently and coquettely gazed at him with shy affection. He pulled her into a hug, engulfing her with his massive arms as he closed his eyes and took in a deep breath of freeing air.

He had a week with her.

He had to make it count.

(O)

A/N: Props to those who are following this crack fic. And yes I do take what you leave in reviews into account. So if you'd like to see something specific, I can work it in (with in reason.)

Cheers!

~jaggedjacket~


	8. Chapter 8

"Doorbell," he mumbled into her mouth as he tried to extract himself from his girlfriend. She rushed back in as soon as the words escaped him, forcing her lips against his, leaving his brain slightly scrambled. The doorbell rang again, trying to bring his attention to the fact that people were arriving and not on the woman in front of him. Their hands were roaming all over each other and the kisses were getting heavier and more intense. If he didn't break free now, he was pretty sure he was going to loose control and potentially kill people for interrupting them.

She seemed oblivious to his remark and the ringing and now frantic knocking on the front door. He was trying to push her away so he could answer the door, but then she pressed against him suddenly and nibbled around the shell of his ear. This resulted in his eyes rolling into the back of his head: she was playing dirty.

With all of the will power he could muster, he separated himself from her, but not before nipping at her collarbone to counter the attack she had made on his ear. "Later," he reprimanded and promised as she recovered, and he used the time she was distracted to open the door before she had another chance to retaliate.

Neji was the first to enter, and he could distinctly hear him mutter something disapproving of her actions with Choji prior to her own going away party as the Hyuga had used his blood limit to find out what was taking them so long to answer the door. Choji had no idea that he such a blatant disregard for personal privacy.

His reproachful remark earned him a dirty look, a threat, and some bodily harm from Tenten as more guests entered his apartment.

Tenten had only half-heartedly smacked Neji in the shoulder with distain as she preoccupied herself by attempting to undress Choji with her eyes, but Neji winced almost imperceptibly, and it did not go unnoticed by Tenten. Tenten was busy greeting people as they shuffled in with food and gifts and directed them where to put everything as she probed the Hyuga for information regarding his injury in between guests.

"Hiashi-sama seemed particularly youthful today," Neji muttered with a half breath after a brief stating he had a sparing session with his uncle that probably earned him a couple of cracked ribs that he had yet to seek medical attention for. Then he winced not only from the pain, but from his choice of words.

"He must have really rung your bell," Tenten remarked teasingly, "because I thought using Gai-sensei phrases was something you would only do if you had some kind of head trauma."

Neji let out a heavy sigh, "Gai-sensei had another 'talk' with me about the Springtime of Youth," he confessed as he tried to straighten out from his stiff middle.

"I got that talk right after I started dating Choji," Tenten admitted with a horrified shudder, "I could hear my soul dying as he explained things to me I will now have nightmares about until the coming of the next apocalypse. I was ready to stab myself in the eye with a dull kunai just to end the torture."

There was a small silence and suppression of memories in reverence of such sufferings.

"Wait, _another_?" Tenten asked with confusion, "Why would he give you the talk a _second_ time?"

"_I have not acted well with in the Springtime of Youth_." He quoted their Sensei.

"And that means…" Tenten prodded her teammate for a more direct answer or in this case, a translation.

"I haven't made any progress regarding Yamanaka-san," Neji half whispered to her and then looked away, clearly embarrassed, but to all else who didn't know him as well, he just continued to look like his usual regal self. She could almost hear regret in his voice for confiding in Lee, the conversation of which Gai had ever so NOT casually overheard. The man had amazing ninja prowess when it came to gossip.

"Honestly, Neji," Tenten finally turned full focus on her stoic teammate instead of ogling her boyfriend's posterior. "Is it so hard to just ask her…"

"Yamanaka-san," Neji interrupted Tenten's inevitable rant, "you are looking well this evening."

Ino was flushed from the outside wind and smiled, arms full of bags and a large cake box. "Where can I put these?" she asked.

"I can take them," Neji offered in what seemed like an offhanded comment, but to Tenten's trained ears he had all but rushed it out. Tenten used the time that Neji spent in the kitchen to chat with her boyfriend's teammate.

"Did you have a hospital shift this afternoon?" Tenten ventured by way of conversation.

"Yeah," Ino confirmed, "I was lucky to get off for your party though." She smiled to Tenten then shifted the conversation. "Choji's going to be unbearable with out you. That last mission we went on was horrendous. I had two love sick teammates that just blathered on about how wonderful their girlfriends were and how they missed them." Ino was teasing her, and Tenten shyly smiled back. It was good to be so missed.

Tenten noticed that Neji had kept himself busy by efficiently blocking any kind of physical contact that Naruto was attempting to get from Hinata, much to couple's annoyance. She quickly made the decision to redirect his attention so that the younger Hyuga could hold her boyfriend's hand and keep the rambunctious blonde from forming a full out attack on the protective cousin right there in Choji's beloved kitchen.

Things were not going to end well if she didn't intercept what looked like a growling/staring match between the two.

"Yikes, I think Naruto is starting to form hand seals," Ino craned her neck towards the kitchen to check out the commotion.

"I'm pretty sure the middle finger isn't a ninja hand sign," Tenten mumbled as she entered the kill zone, better know as the space between her teammate and a very agitated kitsune.

Grabbing Neji by a reluctant forearm, she hauled him out of the kitchen to her side by the Yamaka, then promptly elbowed him right in the ribs, just a little harder than necessary.

Neji effectively nearly doubled, and he clutched his sides out of instinct as he wheezed to take a full breath. When he looked up he saw Ino's concerned face and Tenten's pissed off I-dare-you-to-try-something-stupid look and he paled underneath the scrutiny, realizing that Tenten could easily blow his cover if he didn't behave.

"Wow, Neji, what happened?" Ino was trying to lift up Neji's shirt to get a better look at his injury.

"No!" Neji stammered out, clearly panicking as he dodged her hand from exposing his flesh to her touch. "I'm fine."

"He really should be checked over, he never did receive medical attention and I am certain there are a few cracked ribs that need some mending." Tenten helpfully added as Ino dragged him out to the bathroom to better inspect the wound. Neji gave her the most frightened look over his shoulder, becoming even more pale and slightly nauseous at the thought of being alone in a small room with a girl he was attracted to while being half naked, because in his mind, the results of that equation could only be disastrous. Tenten motioned to her hair then pointed to Ino, indicating with mouthed words to compliment the blonde on it. Neji gave a curt nod, still considerably nervous about the whole ordeal, and disappeared into the bathroom with Tenten encouraging him with a smile and a head nod to try and ease his nerves.

(o)

Choji had snuck up behind his girlfriend, placing delicate kisses along her neck while no one was looking. He was going to miss doing this to her, specifically swiping soft errant tendrils that brushed against the nape of her neck before teasing it with lips, tongue and teeth until a little tiny moan escaped from the back of her throat.

"I can walk you home," he offered into her hair, her ear, her neck as he nuzzled affectionately with his nose. She nodded and the two found themselves exhausted, but unable to part from each other at her front door. They listened to the crickets and tree frogs as he held her close, watching the fireflies off in the distance, know that tomorrow she would have to leave early to get a head start on the twelve hour journey to her new job.

"Meet you at the gate," he reminded her as he reluctantly released her hand from his.

She nodded, sleepy eyes still smiling at him as she bid him good night and slowly shut the door.


	9. Chapter 9

Choji was too concerned with the kunoichi in front of him to notice the brilliant beams of the raising sun trying blind him while he held Tenten close to him. Pressing their foreheads to each other, they cherished the moment, knowing it would be long, grueling months before seeing each other again.

"I promise to write you," Choji fervently assured her as he closed his eyes. "And think about you all the time," he squeezed her hand, "and miss you _constantly_."

Tenten concurred, skin glowing underneath the morning rays that cascaded over her like a flowing robe, reminding Choji of just how much of a goddess she looked like in any light. She pressed her face into his chest, and he could feel the dampness seep through his clothes as she sobbed silently, clinging to him with all her might.

This totally sucked.

"I love you," he spoke, trying not to choke up himself. She was finally breaking him free of her attempt at a bear hug. She swipped her eyes of excess tears before apologizing to him for blubbering.

He wrapped her up in his arms again, gently reassuring her that they would make it, because they were strong, she stronger than both of them. With a kiss that he poured his soul into, something desperate, hungry, and full of hope all at the same time, he watched her cross the gate and wave back at him. She then stopped and ran towards him. She jumped up, taking his lips in a more demanding kiss. They stayed that way for a good long minute, kissing each other like they would never see each other again, before the guard cleared his throat and the two broke apart, gasping for breath.

"I love you," Tenten whispered, the first to recover from their lip lock that had left her lips a bit swollen. She slipped from his arms again, blushing at the guard who wore a definitive smirk of sheer amusement and whistled low to Choji when she was well out of earshot.

Choji continued to stare at her disappearing figure far after it was no longer visible on the horizon, so intent on his task that he almost didn't hear what the guard was telling him.

"Quite a woman you got there," he offered to the distracted man.

Choji had to agree.

(o)

Ino dropped hard to her knees after what seemed like walking into a trance to the training grounds. Shikamaru and Choji were only half paying attention, wrapped up in a discussion about clan meetings when they noticed she was silent and not blinking, just sitting there as if she had just seen a ghost.

Alarmed, Shikamaru ventured out first, placing a very hesitant hand on her shoulder to jostle it ever so slightly. He then quickly fled as soon as he had finished the action behind Choji and peered out behind his massive friend as if expecting Ino to explode like some kind of detonated firework from the small disturbance. Choji scowled at his immature friend, and then knelt in front of Ino and tried to make eye contact with the dazed girl. Her eyes were glazed over and Choji tried to bring her lack of focus to himself to try and determine what the problem was.

"Ino," Choji used his soothing voice, "it's Choji, can you hear me?"

Incoherent mumbles and a sound shudder were his only reply. Choji looked up at Shikamaru, who only shrugged his shoulders. If the man were anymore helpful in times like this he might get mistaken for roadkill. Refocusing, Choji tried again, this time he had caught bits and pieces of sentences and clipped words as she trialed off.

"Wait, Ino, Neji what? Did Neji hurt you?" Choji asked with a sudden protective rush. Ino had the decency to shake her head and finally looked Choji in the eyes. Her sky blue irises were watery and her eyebrows were knit together in worry and fright.

He hadn't seen her this shaken up since Asuma died.

"Is Neji hurt? Did he tell you he didn't want to see you tonight or something? Did he change his mind about dating you? Ino talk to me," Choji prodded with more urgency.

"Gai-sensei…" she trailed off and then shuddered and curled herself into a ball.

Choji sat back with realization. She had gotten "the talk" from Gai-sensei about starting a relationship with Neji, if it was anything like the one he received from the man, Ino wasn't being dramatic, she was just slightly traumatized.

"Gai gave her a 'talk,'" Choji explained to his other teammate. Shikamaru nodded knowlingly, Choji had filled him in on some of the not so wonderful details after his. Ino mumbled something about a mind jutsu not being strong enough and a jailhouse lobotomy and grabbed desperately for her weapons pouch. Choji intercepted, unstrapped the pouch quickly and threw it over to Shikamaru who got it out of sight while Choji talked Ino out of a shock that would most likely last the better part of the hour, if not longer. Ok, maybe a little bit more than _slightly_ traumatized.

Neji came up while Choji had finally gotten her talking and reminiscing about the time someone had mistook Shikamaru's leg for Ino's and couldn't figure out that it wasn't hers until the shadow user piped up "creepy" while they attempted to put a move on her.

Ino gave a full out smile and Neji looked out of breath, and a little disheveled from what Choji could tell.

"Yamanaka-san," Neji called to her with a worried look. Neji appeared to be torn between looking frantic and looking concerned.

"She's fine," Choji reassured him with a pat to Ino's hand. "Just make sure she eats something with in the hour," he passed her hand over to Neji's who took it and nodded. "She likes spring rolls with peanut sauce," he whispered to Neji as they turned to leave, making the rest of the hours they had designated for training with each other shot.

Choji didn't waste much time putting it to use. He folded his arms to the back of his head and reclined against the grassy knoll and his best friend quickly followed suit.

"It's been one week and I'm already going nuts," Choji confessed, "I have to give you credit, Shikamaru, I have no idea how you don't go crazy with out Temari."

Shikamaru stopped his cloud gazing to stare at his friend.

"Are you kidding me? I'm going nuts. If I am not thinking about her, then I am dreaming about her, and if I am not doing that then I am actually with her. When I am with her I am thinking about doing other things to her…" he trailed off.

"We are _so_ whipped." Choji replied passively. There was a long silent pause as they pondered this statement.

"Hey I got an idea…" Shikamaru rolled over and gave his friend a devious grin.

(o)

"Shikamaru, what are you doing?" Choji asked as his friend didn't even hesitate to enter the store. "Do you have any idea where we are?"

"Yeah, you coming or what," Shikamaru looked at the arm Choji had inadvertently gripped as he was asking his questions.

"Hey I don't even know if I can marry her…"Choji started and then all of the color drained from his face at the realization that he might not be able to marry the girl he loved. There weren't any real thoughts about how it was too soon to be thinking about those things with Tenten, just the cold, hard reality that he might not be able to. He was soon hyperventilating on a bench outside the jewelry store as he explained to Shikamaru his thought process for his actions.

"Breath, Choji," Shikamaru instructed, "trust me, they _will_ let you marry her, I know."

"That has to be decided by the elders!" Choji mutinously roared, "They could easily arrange my marriage! I need to talk to my father," the red-haired man got up, only to be stuck in place by his friends jutsu.

"Your dad told me that he intends to keep her as family, Choji," Shikamaru slowly explained. "Now sit down before you have an aneurism, fall over and cripple a civilian."

Choji finally relented, and Shikamaru revealed his incident with Choza as a testament to how Choji was definitely going to be able to marry Tenten if he so wished.

Choji finally calmed enough that he was breathing normally and full color was restored to his features.

With a big sloppy grin on his face Shikamaru knew his friend was ready.

"Let's go pick us out some rings."

(o)


	10. Chapter 10

Little did Tenten know that a week after she left, the Akimichi council meeting assembled, disappointed to no end that there was an egregious lack of snack being passed around, courtesy of Choza's wife. Choza then informed them that it was Choji's girlfriend who had been making them desserts for their meetings and she was now in northern fire country, apprenticing with the notorious blacksmith in the area; it was just his wife that had been passing them along. Choza was then interrogated about Tenten, the council relentlessly asked him question after question regarding everything the man could come up with about her. They seemed pleased that she was not affiliated with any other clan, but then needed details about her training as a kunoichi. Choza began to inform the council about how she was Maito Gai's one and only female student, and how she became known as the Weapon's Mistress of Konoha. Some of the questions were a bit personal, and the incident with Shikamaru was some how brought up. Mayhem seemed to break out, as about a third of the clan member's somehow had not gotten the juicy scoop of gossip concerning everything that occurred with the incident. A few of the elders boasted of their threats or torture of the future Nara clan leader, and there was a brief announcement that Shikaku himself was coming out next week to make a formal apology for his son's transgressions, and to please leave him alone for the time being as his punishment from the Nara clan elders is more than enough for the supposed genius. Everyone fell silent as the most important of all questions came up: was the girl serious about Choji? Choza answered with what his wife had informed him the week before Tenten left during one of their baking sessions. "Tenten wants to name their first born son after him," Choza pointed to his own father, who beamed with pride and then casually mentioned to everyone loudly how he always knew she had an intelligent head upon her shoulders, as evidenced by her keen choices. Choji's new girlfriend became quite the topic of discussion, and it was then agreed upon that she would have to meet up with the council so they could formally induct her into the Akimichi clan before the two became betrothed. The announcement followed plans to build the future married couple their own house, complete with a stove/forge to accommodate the aspiring kunoichi. This all seemed serendipitous of the fact that the clan member's main topic of discussion was to make good use of a pieced of land on the north end of the Akimichi estate, and it was decided that the property would be where they would build the house for Choji and his new bride. The meeting ended with the remark to Choza that Choji would need to be involved with clan meetings from here on out, and they adjourned early so they could catch a light snack at their respective homes, since all the lose ends were now tied up regarding everything that needed to be covered in the meeting.

Of course, Choza neglected to mention in all of this his stockpile of the Weapon's Mistress desserts, currently residing in his freezer at home, and his wife wasn't about to let the elders in on his little secrete either. About once a week after dinner, Choza's wife would get the look in her eye, one stating that she was missing her former baking partner, and the two would indulge in some tea and goodies, discussing wedding plans and future grandkids late into the evening.

Choji had run into his father later that day, and Choza quickly informed his son of the need to attend council meetings from now on, before he caught the look of distress in his son's eyes. He knew the look well; his son didn't hide the emotion well from his father when he needed to talk.

"Dad, I need to know," Choji rushed out, "was your marriage arranged with Mom?"

Choza considered his son's anxious behavior and inferred what had the younger Akimichi troubled.

"Choji," he placed a large hand on his son's shoulder, "the council agreed to let me marry your mother under specific terms. Most marriages of the Akimichi clan are arranged, but I know for certain that if you intend to ask for Tenten's hand in marriage, they will not oppose the marriage. Now, how serious are you about this girl?"

His son dropped a small box into his father's palm in response.

"Ah, I think your mother is going to squeak like a bath toy when she sees this." The older one reasoned, and they headed out to the compound as Choza recounted the story of how he proposed to Choji's mother.

(o)

Choji was nervous about opening the doors to the blacksmith shop. Tired from not only the day's journey but from his mission in town, (he owed Shikamaru one for begging Tsunade to let them take it), he wondered briefly if he should go back to the inn first and make himself a bit more presentable before seeing Tenten. Fully intent on washing at least the blood off of his uniform before meeting his girlfriend for the first time in three months, he quickly changed his mind when he overheard two men entering the premises ahead of him, bragging about who could get the cute blacksmith to go out with him first.

All thoughts of leaving were quickly forgotten.

Choji entered the shop, masking his chakra signature, admiring the fine handy work of either the blacksmith whom Tenten was apprenticing under, or the works of perhaps her own hands. He would have to ask later. There was everything to dinner bells to katanas lining the wooden walls and Choji kept himself hidden as he reached the forge area, keeping to the shadows as he waited for Tenten to appear.

Tenten finally came out to greet her guests, the orange glow of the fire made her skin appear in dark, glistening hues as she was covered with a sheen of ash and sweat. She sported a large apron mottled with soot, and had on the shortest shorts that Choji had ever seen in his life. His girlfriend had, with out a doubt, the most gorgeous pair of get-away-sticks he had ever laid his eyes on. The two men leaning on the half-wall separating her from them seemed to be thinking along the same lines. They lecherously glared at her as she pounded hammer against steel, sparks flying in all directions.

She finished her poundings before placing the ferrite blade under the hot coals and turning her attention to the two men behind her.

She offered them a polite smile before asking them if she could assist them with anything in the shop.

One of them apparently said something inappropriate; Choji couldn't quite make out the comment through the depth of the room and the roar of the fire. It was quite clear of how she felt against such things as she took the sword from the fire that was now a glowing orange and swiftly placed it between the two of them, the heated blade only inches away from their faces. Whatever threat she was making, she did so with an ersatz smile, as she tilted the blade hovered over their faces menacingly. Frozen with fear, the two men readily agreed to whatever it was that the kunoichi was saying before she pulled the blade and stuck it back into the fire. When she turned around, the idiots had fled, and Tenten dusted her hands off like she had just finished taking out the trash. She returned her attention to the blade, bringing out the hammer to pound at it again. Just as she reached back to deliver a hefty blow to the docile metal, Choji let out a salacious whistle from the confinement of the shadows. Tenten shoved the blade back into the fire, but kept the hammer this time to deliver her threat, pointing it out menacingly to the corner of the room where she heard the whistle echo from.

"Listen, pal," she intoned with great agitation, "if you aren't here to shop, you better scram, cuz I ain't here to be ogled, and I don't take kindly to people who do. If the amount of weapons that I can kill you with in this shop doesn't intimidate you, I am willing to bet my boyfriend will. But I won't need him here in order for you to get the picture that I can handle myself. Mr. Hammer here will make sure to get my point across for me, and I will be happy to introduce him to your skull if you don't leave. Got it?"

Choji was still hiding in the shadows with his chakra cloaked as he let out a low chuckle which only served to upset her even more. Said pissed of kunoichi was approaching cautiously to him, ready to make good on her threat with the broad side of Mr. Hammer. He finally revealed his chakra signature when she was nearly upon him, and she damn near dropped her hammer with shock and confusion.

He stepped towards her, coming out from the shadows so she could see him properly.

"Choji?" she gasped as she threw herself to him, hammer swinging dangerously to his back as she swathed him in her arms.

"What are you doing here? I missed you so much! Kami! Choji! You are covered in blood! Are you okay? Are you hurt?" she took a step back to hold him at arms length to inspect him over.

"Calm down, Ten," he placed his hands over her shoulders to soothe her. "Not mine, no worries. Sorry I couldn't wait to see you or I would have cleaned myself up."

He let out a small "oof" as she grabbed hold of his middle again, determined to rob him of his very breath as she squeezed him with fervor.

"I missed you, too," he chuckled.

(o)

"What are these?" Choji asked as he eyed the charms dangling on the ends of the necklaces with scrutiny. Bringing them into the light he realized he recognized the familiar symbols. "My clan's marking," Choji mumbled with admiration and pride. She had made them about the size of his thumbnail with consummate skill and accuracy. By the blush on her face, he wasn't supposed to find them and she hurried over and looked like she was debating taking them away before he had a chance to comment on them. He thumbed one over in his hands, noting how smooth the edges were and how beautifully crafted his clan's symbol appeared in the polished metal. "These are gorgeous Tenten," Choji turned to his modest girlfriend, who seemed sheepish at the thought of him finding them.

"You weren't supposed to find them," she expressed with downcast eyes. "I wanted to surprise you with one when I came back."

"One?" Choji asked, "who are the others for?"

Another sideways glance and flushed features. "I thought maybe your dad or ya know," she shrugged her shoulders as if to explain why there were over a dozen of them dangling around chains.

"Are there more of these?" He asked suddenly. She blushed further and shook her head yes.

"I kindda got carried away," she stammered out, "I was just having so much fun making them…"

"Did you make one for every clan member?" Choji asked with awe.

"I'm not sure," Tenten sniffed as she sorted through some ones in a box. "Do you think they would like them if I did?"

Choji was shocked a bit, overwhelmed with awe and a desire to propose to her on the spot.

"I don't think so," Choji stated with conviction, "I _know_ so."


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Song for the first scene is The Same Things by Lauren O'Connell feat. Julia Nunes

(o)

The clouds that Shikamaru admired so much yesterday had finally opened up and angrily spilled the resounding sentiments that their broken team had been feeling all week long. Standing at the cenotaph, Choji adjusted Asuma's son on his shoulders and felt the tightening in his chest as he let out a strangled breath.

Dammit if it just didn't get any easier as years went by.

Ino was climbing up the hill, a sullen Kurenia at her side, one arm around to comfort her, the other holding an umbrella.

Shikamaru remained slumped against the earth next to the stone, a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, unlit and soaking wet like the rest of him. The rain had long since saturated the man's clothing, making Choji's heart break just a little more thinking that his friend had been there for much longer than seemed healthy, both mentally and physically speaking.

Choji leaned over and set the child down first before placing the offering against the cold earth. He fingered over his dead Sensei's name, his touch lingering on the etchings in the smooth stone as if thinking in some way he might be able to hear his laugh or see his smiling face again by doing so. He silently thanked the heavens for their spate against his cheek as he felt the hot tears get swallowed up by their thrumming against his face.

He really thought that it would somehow not feel as bad as it did at his funeral, or even the first year following, when his child came to visit with them that day.

He couldn't imagine what Kurenai was going through.

His heart selfishly longed for Tenten, even more so when he spied Neji coming up the hill with flowers to set on the grave and then taking a sobbing Ino into his arms. He helped his best friend off the ground with a firm clasp of forearms and watched Shikamaru throw the cigarette away to help the boy reach up to the part of the cenotaph to finger with tiny hands his fathers name with awe and wonder.

He pulled Kurenai into a firm hug and felt the silent shaking of her body with long drawn out sobs.

There wasn't much to say to fill the silence, the rain seemed to speak for everyone, and Kurenai huddled with her son by the stone, recounting stories of his father, ones that Ino, Shikamaru and Choji could never get tired of hearing; the day that Asuma and Kurenai met, the place where they shared their first kiss, how he proposed, the day he met his first genin team, and every funny anecdote in between. Then they each in turn told him their favorite memory of him, Choji ending the rounds of nostalgia and squeezing Kurenai's hand tight to comfort her.

Everyone else had finally gone home, people shuffling in and out to pay respects throughout the day, and he stood beside his best friend long after the sun had set, and let the gravity of the world, of their lives hit them in full force.

"Choji, I can't wait anymore." Shikamaru spoke to him without context, but Choji knew. Asuma always had a way of getting through to his friend, even long after his death. Shikamaru couldn't stand the waiting anymore.

Choji felt the same way.

(O)

Choji made sure to drop Shikamaru at his clan's main house instead of his apartment. The gangly man hadn't eaten all day, and Choji watched with gratitude as Yoshino greeted him on the porch, silently thanking Choji with a head nod that he had sent him there instead of back at his own place so the man could get in a decent meal and into some warm clothes.

To be honest, the same treatment was waiting for him if he were to swing by his clan's complex, and even though Choji hadn't eaten anything all day either, he found himself wandering back to the cenotaph, staring helplessly in the dark.

He lingered long after it was healthy, knowing he should head home and shed his drenched clothes and make a solid attempt to eat something. He stood in the dark, for minutes or hours, he couldn't tell time anymore, his feet felt numb beneath him. Asuma's name had long since been swallowed by the shadows of the night, but Choji knew the place where his name was carved in the memorial, had memorized it years ago, so he continued his vigil until some one place a hand on his shoulder. It was time to head home.

(O)

To say that his roommate was a good friend might be a vast understatement. Lee had given him space so that he could mourn, but had the decency to come and find him at the gravesite when he failed to show up at the apartment, even though it was more than likely he had stayed at Shikamaru's or his parent's house.

"Tenten regrets not being here," Lee explained as he fingered the letter she had written to her teammate, "she asked me to look for you today if you didn't come home."

Choji was busy stripping his wet clothes, now clinging to his massive form after stepping through his apartment door.

"I miss her," he announced as he stopped for a moment from his ministrations of peeling off his damp shirt.

Lee nodded a bobbed head with the same sentiments.

Choji couldn't bring himself to eat anything, but managed to at least make it to the shower to warm up and fingered a sword by his nightstand before finally crashing on his bed.

(O)

Choji's mother opened the door to a dripping wet kunoichi with a shocked "o" expression on her face. Minutes before her husband and her had been enjoying the last of the baked treats that had been stored away in the spare freezer, and the couple had been stating only moments ago how much they looked forward to her return. "Tenten!' she gasped with shock at the pathetic appearance of the twin bunned girl. She looked fresh off of her journey, as she was completely drenched and still carrying a backback, caked in mud and shivering from the cold.

Tenten raised out hands in alarm, not wanting her presence known to the entire village yet. She explained she had been nearly half a day late thanks to the weather, her early start shot as torrents of water flooded the northern fire country, making arriving on time nearly impossible. She spoke while Choji's mother motioned for Choza to get a towel with a nod to help warm up the half-drowned kunoichi.

"My landlady made me turn in my key before I left," she explained as Choza wrapped a fuzzy bath towel around her, "and she isn't answering her door, neither is anyone else in Konoha, everyone seems to be on a mission." Her teeth chattered as she thanked them, and Choji's mom set about to put a kettle on the stove to make some tea.

"You poor dear!" she spoke as she lit the stove. "Does Choji know that you have arrived?" She shook her head, water dripping from her saturated buns from the movement, and an uncontrollable chill ran up her spine, making the chattering of her teeth audible for a split second.

"I'd rather like to see him after I don't look so much like a drowned rat," she attempted to laugh, but only managed another shiver instead.

She regarded her with a motherly look, one that insisted without recourse. There was no saying no to her, Tenten couldn't even if she wanted to.

"Well, of course! You can go upstairs and wash up in Choji's old room. I insist you stay here tonight. No excuses! I will bring you up some tea and wash your clothes while you shower." She wrapped her arms around Tenten's shivering frame. "It's so good to see you! We missed you so much!" Tenten could only hug her back, thinking how wonderful Choji's mom was as she thanked her in a muffled whisper into her shoulder.

Tenten couldn't help but throw on one of Choji's old shirts after her quick shower, before wrapping herself in an oversized bathrobe. Not wanting to bother his mom after offering so nicely to dry her clothes, she lingered in his room, fingering threw his things nonchalantly, her heart breaking that she couldn't be there two weeks ago for the anniversary of Asuma's death as she rummaged through some snapshots in his desk drawer. A subtle knock on the door and Choji's mom entered and sat on the bed next to Tenten, each taking a cup of tea off the tray as they enjoyed flipping through the pictures, laughing and pointing at the faces that Choji made while Ino and Shikamaru fought in the background.

Then, to Tenten's delight, his mother pulled out a scrapbook from underneath Choji's bed, revealing Choji in diapers with the cutest, chubbiest cheeks that Tenten had ever seen.

"If our kids are half this cute they will get away with murder! How can you say no to such an adorable face?" Tenten mused as she pointed out innocent looks that Choji was famous for. Lost in the captions of the scrapbooks she missed how Choji's mom had signaled to Choza as he passed down the hall.

(O)

Choji was normally a patient man. He had trouble at barbeque places after practice when he was hungry where you had to cook your own food on the grill in front of you, sure, but this seemed as urgent as his need for his next breath. He simply couldn't wait another second. His father stopped him from charging upstairs, insisting that since Choji had gone through such lengths to prepare this night that he shouldn't spoil it by jumping the gun.

Shikamaru strolled up beside him, stating that someone had used a version of the Katon on her clothes to dry them so Choza could take them upstairs, and the large man took the folded garments from the lazy nin with a curt nod, and left his nerve wracked son to the shadow user.

Shikamaru sighed as he spied the anxiousness rolling off of his red-haired companion. "Do not make me jutsu you into staying down here until your father says that it is okay to go upstairs." He drawled lazily with his hands in his pockets. "It would be too troublesome."

"Is everyone in place?" Choji queried for the fifth time, "everyone know what to do?" Choji gripped the sword at his side again with nervous agitation.

Shikamaru attempted to shove a sholder into his friends back. "Relax, Choji, we are all ready and thankfully being quiet, even Naruto."

"Yeah, well, I am pretty sure I have Hinata to thank for that."

"Mostly just her mouth," the indolent man muttered.

Choji shifted to his friend and asked him a serious question, "Were you this nervous when you asked Temari?"

Shikamaru turned his head abruptly, "Are you kidding, I was worse, I had to ask Gaara _and_ Kankuro for permission before hand: that alone was more brutal than any battle that I have ever been in. Then I thought that some one had stolen the wine and flowers once we got up to the Kazekage tower roof. Nearly tripped over the set up and almost broke a wine glass. Temari just laughed and played along. When the sun set, I nearly lost my voice and prayed to Kami she wouldn't bludgeon me to death with the empty wine bottle. I ended up slipping the ring on her finger while I kissed her. The shocked look on her face reminded me that I still needed to ask her. When she said yes, I nearly fell off the roof with shock. Yours will go better, trust me."

Choji wiped his sweaty hands on his pant leg and prayed his friend was right. Luckily, Shikamaru's recap of his proposal lasted as long as it took for his soon to be fiancé to get dressed.

He nearly plowed over his father to get to his room, kissing his mother briefly on the cheek before he knocked on his own bedroom door.

He opened the door before he was technically granted permission to enter, heart stopping as he witnessed Tenten pulling up her hair into the infamous twin buns on top of her head. Her back was facing him, but she halted in her chore with a momentary pause before suddenly turning around to see him.

His name rasped on her lips, a startled, awe voice of disbelief and hope.

The moments it took for them to embrace seemed an eternity, but he was wrapping her in his arms, hands unable to stop from covering her back, as if still not believing that she was real.

"I missed you," he breathed into her half up, half down hair.

Tenten broke the hug to self-consciously feel the side of her head that remained down, "I was hoping to look more presentable when I saw you," she murmured sheepishly.

Choji couldn't help but thread his fingers through the wet strands, "I like your hair down."

A perfect blush crept onto her cheeks, and she hesitantly took the one side down with a muttered thanks.

Choji was only half-aware that he was staring at her like an idiot before the thought occurred that he had something to give to her. Remembering the sword at his side, he reached for it, and presented it to her with outstretched hands.

"It took me a while, but I think I found a katana worthy of your talents."

Three and a half months of searching to be correct. He had finally run down his leads on an ancient and well-preserved masterpiece: nothing but perfection for his Weapon's Mistress.

"You had me at 'shinny, pointy weapon,'" she teased, but soon couldn't formulate words for the elegantly crafted sword now resting in the palms of her hands.

"Choji," she exhaled incredulously, "this is the nicest weapon I have ever touched!"

The wonder in her eyes at his gift, the sheer look of gratitude and astonishment were all he needed.

"It's beautiful, thank you."

Before she separated blade from sheath, he pulled her by the arm, "I want you to see it in proper lighting downstairs. That way, you can read the inscription."

She nodded to him, clearly having a hard time dividing her attention between him and the ferrite weapon in her hands. She settled for him however, and he did his level best not to drag the woman down the stairs into the family living room.

When Choji flipped the switch, it was like an explosion of too many things happening at once.

The living room was full of people all wearing t-shirts with only one letter on each of them. The W and I were Neji and Lee, all the way down to the E and the question mark which were hard to make out as they were Naruto and Hinata standing a little to close to one another. Everyone was lined up in a row, spelling out the phrase, "Will you marry me?" and Tenten let out a gasp as she read the question and took in the whole scene. When she turned to Choji, he was down on one knee with a ring outstretched in his hands. Tenten nearly dropped the sword.

He instructed her to read the inscription on the sword, which only consisted of two words. A name. Akimichi Tenten.

With a loud "YES!" she threw her arms around Choji, nearly knocking him over in her fervor, and kissed him senseless. The crowd cheered behind them as he placed the ring on her finger, and Choji couldn't help but kiss his soon-to-be-bride one more time before turning her over to her friends to greet her back from her extended stay from her apprenticeship.

Shikamaru came up to Choji, the first to congratulate him on his engagement.

"Asuma would say that you chose well," Shikamaru evaluated as they watched Tenten greet and hug each friend in succession.

"You, too," Choji replied to his friend, "you, too."

A/N: Everyone that has reviewed and faithfully followed along on this non-canon pairing, I salute you. Your reviews and alerts for the story pushed me to finish because for a long time this sat with only two reviews and I honestly thought no one cared about Choji getting any love! I absolutely appreciate every comment made. Gracias! Arigato! Thank you!

~jaggedwhitejacket~


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